TAGR TWO
ASHLAND TTOIXGS
Thursday, June 10, 191.T.
Ashland Tidings
SEMI-WEEKLY.
ESTABLISHED 1876.
Issued Mondays and Thursdays
Bert R. Greer, Editor and Owner
B. V. Talcott, ... City Editor
SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
One Tear 2.00
Blx Months 1.00
Three Months 60
Payable in Advance.
TELEPHONE 39
Advertising rates on application.
First-class job printing facilities.
Equipments second to none in the
Interior.
Entered at the Ashland, Oregon,
Postofflce as second-class mail mat
ter. Ashland, Ore., Thursday, June 10, '13
THE OYSTERS AXI) THE TRUST.
A way to "put one over" on the
trusts appears to be to encourage
the use of oysters. It has just been
announced by the chemistry bureau
of the department of agriculture
that all American oyster beds are to
be Investigated, with a view to re
moving the prejudice against this ar
ticle of food as subject to contamina
tion. The oyster is a valuable item in
these cost-of-living times. It should
not be turned down by the squeam
ish housewife without just cause.
Under modern methods of shipment
it should be available in every town
in the United States.
There are 60,000 people engaged
in the oyster business. Only a small
part of the available places for beds
are used. Cornering the produce
mould be about like forming a trust
in the cabbage industry. Many of
the oyster growers work farming
half the year. Combining them to
raise prices would be fore than Sam
son's job of tying the foxes' tails
together.
The oyster was long regarded as
the poor man's beefsteak. Restau
rants that would charge 50 cents for
lamb, mutton or beef, and 75 cents
for sirloin, would usually give a nu
tritious oyster stew for 25 cents,
though the juicy bivalves must have
felt lonesome in some of them. A
well-buttered oyster stew has a saline
tang as refreshing as a whiff of sea
air. Wit hno bones, gristle or refuse
fat, the consumer pays only for solid
nutriment.
Dr. Carl Alsberg, successor to Dr.
Wiley, says the consumer of oysters
runs less chance of incurring disease
than from raw milk or drinking
water. The proposed government in
spection should reduce the danger of
infection practically to nothing. So
here's for oyster stew, when the next
month with an R comes along. May
the delicious bivalve not swim too
solitary in his brimming bowl!
PAYTOX'S COMMISSION CHARTER
Dayton, Ohio, has just adopted a
commission form of government
which embraces an entirely new sys
tem. It provides that the citizens
shall elect a board of five commis
sioners, reserving to themselves the
power of the Initiative, referendum
and recall. These commissioners are
to employ a general manager, dis
pensing with the mayoralty, and he
need not be a resident, but the best
man to be' found anywhere for- the
Job. He Is to be responsible only to
the commissioners and the commis
sioners to the citizens, and will have
exclusive authority in the employing
and discharging of all persons what
soever engaged In municipal service.
The commission idea Is getting
around to about the right place.
From a careful study of commission
j?oernnient for the past ten years the
writer has concluded that the best
administration can be had through
one man. The big cause of waBte in
municipal affairs Is brought about
largely by the looseness In adminis
trative policies and detail occasioned
by the compromise necessary to
reach a course where a half dozen
or more men have equal power In
putting certain administrative poli
cies Into action. Good administra
tion will never come from log roll
ing. Somebody must have power to
go ahead without hindrance and put
into execution as sound business
principles In matters of public con
cern as are exercised In private mat
ters. Ashland should have a new char
ter providing for a one-man admin
istration. Better results can be ob
tained for fifty per cent of the pres
ent cost of administration. The
waste comes from attempting to ap-
)ly old-time methods to new-time
conditions. The individual officers
are not so much to blame as the old
system that ties their hands so that
economical administration is impos
sible. The United States last year im
ported 153,000,000 pounds of cocoa,
the greatest amount on record.
WHATC THE MATTER WITH ROGUE RIVER VALLEY?
NOTE Under this caption the
Tidings proposes to publish a series
of editorials, discussing the possibili
ties, the advantages and hindrances
to the proper development of this
valley.
General Statement.
This is a season of unusual depres
sion throughout the United States
and the Rogue River Valley Is ex
periencing no harsher effect, prob
ably, than every other section of the
country. However, there are good
reasons why it should be less felt
here than in other sections, and it
will be the purpose of these articles
to point out why it Is too severely
felt and to attempt to offer sugges
tions as to how it may be best over
come. The general depression comes
from two causes. The country is at
the end of an unprecedented era of
speculation. When the speculative
spirit outruns development reaction
will follow as surely as the night the
day. There will come a season of
inactivity followed by depression in
values. ' This effect is the result of
a very simple fact. ,To raise values
without development adds no new
wealth. Take a vacant town lot, for
example: A sells it to B at five
hundred dollars. B buys it only for
speculation and sells it to C for a
thousand dollars, who adds nothing
to its value but price when he sells
it to D for fifteen hundred dollars.
If the lot was originally worth five
hundred dollars the added price of
one thousand dollars represents the
per cent of speculation in the trans
action. Considering that a certain
legitimate value has been added dur
ing the period of these transactions
by reason of community growth and
development, it still remains that the
specific transactions in this lot has
added nothing either to the lot or
community value. Therefore, the de
gree of pure Inflation caused by this
transaction depends upon the rela
tion of the number, or volume of
such transactions, to those made for
utility only. As long as men can
profit by such transactions they will
continue, but as soon 83 prices are
forced up to a point where the full
development of the property will not
yield a net sum equal to the price of
money rent, or money interest, prof
itable transfers in real, estate will
cease because the same amount of
profit cannot be gathered from Its
utilization as can be gained from
money loaning. The extent of de
pression following depends much
upon the relation of property held
purely for speculation to that held
s lely for utility. In other words, a
community in which half of the
lands "are held for speculation will
suffer less than one wherein two-
thirds of the porperty is owned by
persons who do not personally util
ize it. Conversely, a community
where all of the property was util
Ized for homes and was tilled by the
owner no depression would be felt,
at least so long as the land yielded
Its average wealth. Again, as soon
as the values become so inflated that
the utilization of the property will
not yield a fair remuneration to the
persons employed in Its care plus a
reasonable interest on the invest
ment, no one will care to own It and
demand will stdp until the values
have settled back 5 to where it will
yield It. No community will proper
ly prosper until its citizenship be
comes contented. Communities
where a large proportion of the pop
ulation have been led to buy through
misrepresentation, paying part down
at a price that the land cannot be
made to surely and permanently
yield a sum sufficient to gustain
those employed in its care together
with the amount of interest accruing
on deferred payments, soon becomes
Invested with wide discontent
everybody wants to sell and nobody
wantB to buy and a depression fol
lows which can only be relieved by
a decline In priceB to a point where
the investment becomes profitable.
Wherever such conditions exist In a
community the best remedy is to
hurry back to values that are justi
fiable. In communities where pro
duction is specialized It is of vital
Interest to all that only such class
of land be utilized for specific crops
as will profitably produce them. In
all communities there are certain
sharp practices In real estate manip
ulation that should not only be
frowned down, but the perpetrators
should be sent to the penitentiary, If
It be necessary to stop it. It is now
fairly well established that Individu
als In communities are not Indepen
dent, but dependent. The transac
tions of one individual have a cer
tain effect on all other Individuals
In the Immediate community. Some
persons who have not philosophised
on the matter are Inclined to say
that what one Individual does is no
business of his neighbor. That is
especially true in real estate trans
actions. However, for example, let
us take a real estate transaction in
the orange belt of California. Down
there there is certain land peculiarly
adapted to orange culture lying im
mediately adjacent to land that will
not produce oranges at all. Sharp
real estate men procure the latter
kind and set it to oranges, nursing
the young trees long enough to un
load it on a tenderfoot, knowing
well enough that it will never pro
duce oranges. Result, a discontent
ed citizen, and a black spot on the
whole neighborhood as orange land.
These transactions not only militate
against the proper development and
value of the whole neighborhood,
but while they are being perpetrated
the land is being held out of its
proper use and the whole community
impoverished because it is not ..util
ized for the production of that to
which it is adapted. Because of the
depressing effect such transactions
have on the community they should
be put an end to by law. In truth,
it is hard to differentiate between
such transactions and the act of
highway robbery. If anything the
first is worse than the last, because
the last affects only the individual
robbed while the first reflects on the
value of all lands in the community.
The law against one should be no
less stringent than the other; both
should be equally backed by moral
sentiment. And the men who per
petrate these frauds should be ta
booed instead of elected to places of
trust in the community. If land that
will not produce fruit but will pro
duce wheat is set to fruit and held
away from the production of wheat.
and by reason of that, community
money must be sent away for flour.
the community will be drained of
cash in just that proportion. This
applies as well to all diversified pro
duction. Every community contains
land adapted to one kind of produc
tion and not to another and it is
the interest of every citizen to dis
courage its use for that to which it
is not adapted, that it may be made
a profitable asset to the community
in the production of hat to which
It is suited. Land well adapted to
fruit culture may have great value,
while wheat land is- seldom made
profitable at a higher price than
fifty dollars per acre. It is greatly
to the interest of a community that
values in harmony with the proper
uses is maintained on land. In other
words, excessive speculation should,
as a communtty proposition, .be con
demned always and everywhere and
substantial development encouraged.
The community that does that will
prosper best. Communities prosper
less during great eras of land specu
lation than during periods of sub
stantial development.
The second general cause is politi
cal: Without taking issue with eith
er political party, it will suffice to
say that the proposed legislative
changes are so radically opposed to
the system in vogue under republi
can administration that it will cause
uneasiness and unrest while the
changes are being agitated at least.
The present administration Is now
constructing a tariff bill which
changes that system from one of
high protection to one of tariff for
revenue only. Just how far it will
affect business is problematical.
Then the currency will be revised,
and how radically it is too early to
determine. Then trust control will
be inaugurated along lines propos
ing to destroy combination. Neces
sarily these agitations will nffert
business to a greater or less degree
as each subject for consideration is
a vital spark in the commercial sys
tem or the country. Laying aside
the permanent effect of this legisla
tion, it must -be conceded that dur
ing the formation of bills with this
view and during the period of read
justment to conform to the new rules
business generally will be uncertain
and depressed. It will probably con
sume eighteen months' ttm. during
which it is hardly reasonable to ex
pect any material improvement in
speculative and hardly more In cumu
lative enterprise. It is safe to say
there will be few real estate trans
actions during that time. Therefore,
this Is an especially auspicious time
to take stock. During this period
of depression values will settle back
and it should be the desire of all
that the settlement should be solid
so that the new activity will come
with a firm bottom and that the
country will develop rather than
boom. The boomer is of no more
value to a community than a vermi
form appendix. The body is safer
when it Is cut out.
So much for general causes which
effect depression throughout the
country. But there are some spe
cific, indigenous to the locality,
which can be oercome. We will dis
cuss these In order of thnir imnnr.
tance as this series progresses.
The POTtTT.ATVn WVimvrrvm tpt tb
GRAM and Ashland Tidings one year,
THE SMALL INVESTOR AND THE
RAILROADS.
The receivership for the Frisco
railroad lines is a sharp reminder
of the perils of the railroad share
market constantly being incurred by
small investors.
The railroads have been reporting
of late years a big increase in num
ber of stockholders. Magazines and
newspapers devote much space to
answering questions regarding stock
market propositions from people of
limited means, many of whom have
but the most elementary idea of in
vestments. The railroad corporations have
viewed the small Investor with great
favor. One sees why, from the
story told by a man who spent a
night at a certain "city in a boarding
house near the railroad yards. He
remarked to his landlady that a cer
tain freight carvmust have been de
layed there a week, as it then had
snow on it. 1
The landlady remarked with some
asperity that the snow came the
night before, and that that railroad
handled its freight very promptly.
Afterward it appeared that the
landlady owned two shares of stock
in the corporation that owned that
freight car. These little lots of stock
create a widespread friendly senti
ment that is felt to be valuable.
The school teacher, the clergy
man, the small business man and the
widow have been frequent customers
at the railroad bargain counter dur
ing the past few years. Many of
their prizes are bitterly repented of.
The alluring stories that the El Do
rado Pacific is going to buy up the
Golconda Central usually prove to
have been circulated by people hav
ing G. C. to sell.
The prudent French, who recently
invested freely in Frisco, can't under
stand why a surplus of $1,195,907
was claimed for seven months end
ing in January, while the road goes
to a receiver for inability to borrow
a sum less than one per cent of its
existing debts. After some of these
adventures among the bulls and
bears the old home savings bank
looks good.
CHAUTAUQUA PROGRAM.
The program for the Chautauqua
course for 1913 Is out. It consti
tutes one of the best assemblies yet
booked. It is well patronized and
well printed and shows great care
(Eni
ULYffin
I
fli
qJJ
JuiJlnJinJolIni
ul
n
CO
j A Ctartiss Aeroplane
WITH FLIGHTS AND EXHIBITIONS
Motorcycle Automobile Races
FOOT RACES AND HORSE RACES
LOG ROLLING $ LOG SAWING CONTESTS
B
aseball Tournament
WITH MANY CLUBS ENTERED
Public Speaking Band Concerfs-Chorus ol One Hundred Voices
ONE-FARE RATE
WE SOLICIT the opportunity of handling your bank
ing business knowing that we have the facilities,
the resources and the disposition to serve you faith
fnily and efficiently.
Firs! National Bank
Oldest National Bank in Jackson County
Depository of the United States, State of Oregon, Coun
ty of Jackson and City of Ashland.
in selection of talent by the manage
ment. We are glad to see that a
"Medford day" Is provided for.
Everything should be done to encour
age good feeling between this and
the communities down the valley and
a pleasant Chautauqua outing in our
splendid park will do much to foster
such feeling. The Ashland Chautau
qua deserves the support of the en
tire valley. It affords a cool, re
freshing, edifying week to the people
and a period, of relaxation and Intel
lectual culture necessary for good
health .and moral, and civic develop
ment. No Work for Non-Residents.
Non-residents of the state of New
York will not be able to hold em
ployment in ahy branch of the city
government after October 1, 1913.
The board of aldermen passed an or
dinance providing for this on April
29th and handed it up to the mayor
for approval. The mayor returned
it without his approval or disapprov
al on May 13th and it thus became a
law.
The ordinance is as follows:
"No person not a citizen and an
actual resident and dweller in good
faith in the state of New York shall
be eligible to appointment or em
ployment in any of the departments,
boards, bureaus of the government
of the city of New York. '
"Any person who now is, or who
shall become after such appointment
of employment, a citizen, resident,
or dweller outside the state of New
York, shall thereby forfeit and shall
be removed from his said appoint
ment or employment.
"The provision of this ordinance
m lib XfaM
O 3ST S. V
FOR ROUND TRIP
shall not apply to appointments or
employments for services or work
to be performed for the city of New
York outside of the state of New
York; nor to a temporary appoint
ment or employment for a specified
service or work where peculiar or
exceptional qualifications of a scien
tific, professional, or educational
character are necessary. . Prior to
such temporary appointment or em
ployment evidence in writing shall
be furnished that the services or
work to be performed cannot be well
done by any citizen and actual resi
dent of the state of New York who
can be discovered, and that non
resident person proposed to be ap
pointed or employed is generally
recognized as one possessing such
exceptional qualifications in a high!
degree. No appointment or employ
ment under this section shall be valid
unless the consent of the mayor shall
be first obtained; and he may re
quire the civil service commission to
pass upon the matter and certify
whether an appointment or employ
ment is necessary for lack of a resi
dent of the state of New York who
is competent." New York Evening
Post.
Shake Off Your Rheumatism.
Now is the time to get rid of your
rheumatism. Try a twenty-five cent
bottle of Chamberlain's Liniment and
see how quickly your rheumatic
pains will disappear. Sold by al!
dealers.
A Frenchman has succeeded in
flying with an aeroplane driven by
flapping wings instead of a pro
peller. ON RAILROADS
w
Vi D