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About The morning Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1899-1930 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 1907)
Jtwrftift cttrtim UBUIBHI PULL AOOIATiO " OOVIRS THK MORNING MILD ON THB LOWIft OOLUMBIAil VOLUME LXIU NO. 30 ASTORIA, OREGON, SUNDAY. FEBRUARY 10, PRICE FIVE CENTS TAX BILL IS Makes Large Change From Present System. EXCLPT10NS LIBERAL Property Same as Pri vate Persons. Law FIM Method of Asaeismtnt Real Estate Owned by Banks Will Be Rated 8me That of Individual. SALEM, Ore., Feb, 9. The House today passed two of tha bllla backed by the Bute Tax Commission, and practically docldcd to pass another, consideration of thla measure In the committee of tha whole bolng Inter, ruplod by the adjournment In the af ternoon. House bllte IS and ware pinned, these loylng tha foundation for tha other four lax bllla and ma terially chanting the present eyatem of atate taxation. House bill 99 prescribes what prop erty shall be taxed In Oregon, aa wotl aa what la exempt. The following ex emptions are provided: All real and personal property of the United State or atate; all public or corporate prop erty of cltlca, town, school district and vlllagea; personal property of all literary, benevolent, charitable and aclenttno Institutions and real catate occupied for the purposes for which tha aocletlea were Incorporated; nil chiirchea, burial ground and build ing thereon, not exceeding 30 acrea In on piece; all public llbrarlea. property of Indiana who have not sev ered their tribal relatione; personal property of Indlgenta; 1300 worm of household gooJa for each family. The law Is more liberal In He ex ceptlona than many of the legislators hoped, the provisions for the exemp tion of all fraternal property and fur nishings and especially for the ex emption of private cemetery and cre matory associations, that are organis ed for profit alone, being considered somewhat liberal. The bill provides for the assessment of estates, for tho place of assessment of persons owning proporty In various counties, and for the taxation of cor porate property. Suction 13. which treats of corporation taxation, eay: "The personal proporty of every pri vate corporation Is liable to taxation In the snmo tnnnnor as tho personal proporty of a natural person, and shall bo assessed in the name of such corporation In the county where the principal place of business of such corporation 1h locatod, unless other wise spoclally provided by law; but If such corporation Is engaged in the business of navigation, then the steamboats or other water craft of such corporation shall be assessed In the county and state where the home port of such water' craft' may be." The form of the assessment roll Is provided, personal proporty Is to be placed at Its cash value' 'by the as sessor; time oj! 'assessment and meth od of giving notice of same are fixed, and generally the basis of the new taxation system' recommended by the commission Is laid. , . House bill 85, that was passed yes terday, provides for the assessment of bank stock and shares. Under the bill all trust, loan and exchange com panies are considered banks and their shares of stock are made liable to as sessment. Accounting offloers of luch PASSED Institutions are required to furnish a statement of the number and value of shares for the guidance of the asses sor. Real estate owned by the banks Is asMussed us other real estate, and not, as at present, according to the val ue of tho property as shown by the book of the band, In 1'ortlund large block of real estate have been escap ing their share of taxation because tha assessor took lheo tracts ut the valuation shown by the bunk's book which was alwuys was the bank had paid for thla proporty and not what the presunt salo price was. Shares of bank stock not situated In tho state are not to be asscssrd. That is, Oregon holders of stock in foreign banks do not have to puy taxes on such stock. Share of stock In national banks shall be assosed to the Individual shareholders at the place where the bunk Is located. Bhares of stock In other bnnka 4 Interest In banking capital, b' , and loan association and tr .unpanles shall be assessed to banks or companies or their owtu.s and stockholders at the place where such Institutions are located. FOR CHEAP ALCOHOL. Oenaturlzad Product May Be Manu factured Without Red Tap. WASHINGTON, Feb. 9.-Senator Hansbrough, of North Dakota, aeom to have won the fight he has made so vigorously for the purpose of enabling the t-rihors of the great northwest to manufacture denaturltcd alcohol, without all tho red tape and rigid reg ulation which accompany the manu facture of thl article In the great dis tilleries. The first fruits of this legis lation were heralded aa of Incalcula ble benefit to the farmer, but It was Boon aeen that under tho law dena tured alcohol would easily be controlled by the trusts, which own all the dis tilleries. Then It was that Senator Hans brough set about having the law amended and the House Committee on Ways and Mean, whore all revenue measure must originate, has risen to the occasion and ordered a favorable report on a composite bill that In cludes the best points of several meas ures that have been Introduced. The proposed law also has the approval of treasury officials and will be passed before this session adjourns. Without going Into the legal verbiage of the proposed act, It moy be said that It will enable the farmera to work up their waste products Into denatured alcohol, without all the expensive par aphernalia and red tape necessary In dealing with the big distilling houses. GIFT HAS FLAW. Rockefeller's Donation Will Not Reach Most Worthy Colleges. CHICAGO, Feb. 9. President A. W. Harris, of Northwestern University lust night In commenting on the do nation of John. D. Rockefeller to the general Education Board, for the pur pone of promoting the cause of edu cation throughout the country found one serious objection to the system of tho board In handing out tho money. "Tho colleges that need the money most cannot afford to have it because of tho condition which must be com plied with to get It." said President Harris. "For Instance, Belolt was of fered $200,000 by the board as one third of an endowment on condition thut the collego would raise tho other two thirds, $400,000. This Belolt found im possible and consequently could ob tain only $50,000 of the amount, The college that can raise two thirds of such an endowment is not the college that noeds the money most." TELEPHONE MERGER. CHICAGO, Feb, 9. The Incorpora tion of a number of telephone com panies " which 'will furnish' long dis tance connection with the Independent Telephone lines' was announced yes terday. The iomprbmlse whlcl) will enter the merger are the Chicago, Mil waukee and Northern Long1 Distance Company, the Chicago, Indiana and Eastern Telephone Company, and the Chicago, St. Louis and Western Long Distance Telephone Company. The general offices will be located In Chi CALLS IT INJUSTICE GovernorllitsMeasurePro posed by Congress. WOULD HURT OREGON Law to Keep Timber Lands and Sell Timber Would Check State's Growth. MESSAGE TO LEGISLATURE Special Missive 8nt by Chamberlain Calling Attention of Law Makers to Dangers Lurking in Bill Before Congress. SALEM, Ore.. Feb. 9. In a special message to the legislature late yester day, Governor Chamberlain pointed out the bad effects that would be ex perienced by Oregon If the congres sional proposal to retain title to tim ber lands and sell only the timber were carried out. The message fol lows: "Gentlemen of the Senate and House of Reoresentatles I note In the dispatches of yesterday that the Senate committee on public lands In the Congress of the United States re ported favorably on the 6th Inst., a bill repealing the timber and stone act and providing that In the future the government shall retain title to Its timber lands and sell only the timber at not less than its appraised value. The committee have Incorporated an amendment, proposed by Senator Ful ton, that 25 per cent of the money de rived from the sale of public lands shall be paid to the counties In which the soles are made. If my under standing of the committee's report Is correct, the government Intends to re tain title to all the timber lands In the state, whether they be situated within the federal reserves or not, and that the concession to the counties In which the lands are situated of 25 per cent of the money derlveJ from the sale of the timber Is Intended to reimburse sold counties for taxes which they might ultimately collect should this timber land pass into pri vate ownership, as under the bill re ported the titlo to all timber land remains In the government, and hence the land Itself cannot bo taxed. "Already 11,569,848 acres of land have been practically withdrawn from settlement and cultivation by being placed within federal reserves; this covers at least one-fifth In area of tho territory of the state. It is im possible to tell how much more of the state's territory Is to be withdrawn from settlement, sale and cultivation by this proposed now law, In case it Is enacted by congress. It may be equal, if not greater In acreage than Is ,now Included In federal reserves. Without questioning the advisability of repealing or amending the timber and stone act, but leaving this ques tion entirely to the discretion and judgment of the Congress of the Unit ed States, I deem It my duty to call your attention to the great Injustice that is being done to Oregon and its advancement commercially and In dustrially by this proposed legisla tion, super-added to the arbitrary course of the federal authorities In placing millions of acres within fed eral reserves. "It Is impossible to tell what great injustice may be done the state by this new act, and I suggest that a ringing protest be made by your dis tinguished body against the passage of any act by Congress which will re. tain In the government title to the timber lands of the state, not already Included within forest reserves. What ever is done In the premises ought to bo done promptly, and Oregon ought not to submit longer to having the most valuable of its resources place 1 In such condition as not only to re tard but absolutely to prevent the de velopment of the state. If it be nee. cssary to uiwiid or repeal the timber and stone act, to prevent fraud, cer tainly some means can bo adopted to give our people, acting In good faith, title to land situated within the state and subject to Its Jurisdiction. Re specfully submitted, "GEO E. CHAMBERLAIN, "Governor." In accordance with the message he sent Into tho two branches of the leg islature yesterday afternoon, request ing that a Joint memorial be addressed to the federal government and con gress, protecting against the repeal or tho timber and stone act, Governor Chamberlain last night sent a dis patch to Congress, In which he sounds a vigorous protest against such action on the ground that it would be ruin ous to Oregon's Interests, In view ot the fact that there are now available over 60,000 acres of base lands upon which to make Indemnity selections, and asks Instead that the act be amended so as to prevent frauds. Th full text of the governor's dispatch to congress follows: "Withdrawal of timber lands from sale and sale of timber by government ruinous to Oregon. Amend stone and timber act so as to prevent frauds, but I protest against withdrawal of lands from sale and selling timber by government. Cost to state as follows: First, denuded land worthless; secona, 75 per cent of proceeds timber goes to reclamation projects outside of state; third, Oregon has 60,000 acres base for Indemnity selection selling at $7.50 per acre. Will be worthless If timber lands withdrawn from sale. Fourth, retards settlement and development" READS LIKE NOVEL. Romantio History of Mysterious Her mit Onoa a German Officer. CHICAGO, Feb. 9. The remarkable history of Henry Scholkes Helwig, mysterious hermit of Hammond, Ind., was revealed In part yesterday at the Inquest over his body, which was found frozen stark Thursday night In his little hut. Helwig was 60 years old, wealthy and reported to be of aristocratic Ger man lineage. It developed) at the inquest that Helwiar, when he was an officer In the France-Prussian war. was charged with a breach of discipline In taking the command of a column from asu perlor officer during an engagement in which the Pruslan had been routed. Later they rallied under his command, but he was court martlaled and sen tenced to be shot. While Imprisoned In a fortress he was pardoned by King Frederick. Broken hearted, he fled to South America and became a soldier of for tune in several revolutions. He left Brazil fifteen years ago and came to New Orleans, later settling In Ham mond, Ind., where he refused to talk to anyone save a crony called Holtz. He had plenty of money and corre sponded regularly with his relatives In Germany, but he refused to return there. ELIMINATE DANGEROUS MAN. Insanity Does Not Save California Murderer from Gallows. SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 9. That a man can be adjudged insane and still be held responsible for his acts was the ruling made by the state Supreme Court yesterday in the cose of the peo ple against Frank Wlllard, who was found guilty of murder In the first de gree for having killed J. H. Smith, sheriff of Mendocino county, Decem ber 22, 1905. When the Judge was signing the committment of Wlllard to the Insane asylum, the latter jumped Uy his feet and declared an grily that he was not Insane. He started to run from the courtroom and the sheriff started after him. Wlll ard turned around deliberately and shot the official dead. As a result of the decision of the Supreme ' Court Wlllard must be sentenced, to death. DEFENSE IN DOUBT Counsel for Thaw Will Probably Enter Will. JEROME WILL DECIDE Course of Defense Depends Up on Actions of Prosecut ing Attorney. MRS. THAW WILL LEAVE STAND Objection Raised by Prosecuting At torney Jerome Change Plan Laid Down By Counsel for Thaw and Next Move Undecided. NEW YORK, Feb. 9. Doubt and speculation exist tonight as to what course the defense will take In the case of Harry Thaw when the trial la resumed Monday. When ths court ad journed Friday It was the Intention of Delmas again to have Mrs. Thaw continue the narration of the story upon which the prisoner's life may de pend. Jerome had dramatically protested against any further "defamation ot the dead" Just before the Friday ad journment was taken and had been upheld by Judge Fitzgerald In the contention for a "broader foundation" for the insanity plea should be laid before more "loose tattle of the Ten derloin" should be placed upon the records. The district attorney's reference wa to a question Delmas put to " Mrs. Thaw, as to whether she and her hus band had discussed together the "fate of other girls at the hands of Stan ford White." The court's ruling that the Insanity of the defendant Is not yet sufficiently established to admit ot bringing hi further details of his wife's testimony may result In a temporary change in the line of evidence. The course to be pursued Monday depends greatly upon the attitude of Jerome who declared he could hav offered legitimate objection to Mr. Thaw's testimony at the very outsev on the ground that the alleged insan ity of the defendant had not been es tablished, but had refrained from so doing because of the fact that he knew the testimony as to her revelations to Harry Thaw must come sometime If Jerome persists Monday In his objections to the line of examlnatioi. Indicated by Delmas' question as to the stories concerning young women other than the wife of the defendant, the prosecuting officer may he asked temporarily to excuse Mrs. Thaw to permit the Introduction of evidence in accordance with Justice Fitzger ald's ruling. As Mr. Jerome will probably be glad of a delay, before he takes up the difficult task of cross examining the young wife, he Is expected to consent to the plan. In that event, Delmas' first attempt will be to get In as evidence Harry Thaw's will, which was ruled out Fri day because of many Interlineations, which had not been sufficiently proven. Justice Fitzgerald held that the will must be shown to have been In its present condition when it was signed. Delmas Is very anxious to have the will go In evidence," believing It will go' further than any other documen tary proof he can produce to show the effect of Evelyn Nesblt's story of her treatment at the hands of Stanford White, on the mind of the defendant. Although the counsel deny that the Information is altogether accurate, ll leaked out today that one of the pro visions In Harry Thaw's will Is the setting aside of the sum of $50,000 for the prosecution of all persons whs may be concerned, In case of the deatk of the testator by violence. Thu probable Investigator of this antici pated act of violence Is said to be re vealed in the provision. Another par agraph, It Is reported, made provision for the benefit of a young woman who, the will declared, had suffered : 111 treatment at the hands of the deaa man, similar to that of Thaw's wife. Reports even go so far as to say that the names of White's alleged victims are Included In the clause of the will relating to this subject Thaw's will also made provision for Howard Nesblt, Evelyn's brother, who, It has been reported, would take tha stand In opposition to his sister. Young Nesblt Is in constant attend ance at the trial In company with Stanford White's secretary, but has never gone near the group of ThaWs relatives. The rest of Thaw's prop erty was to go to bis wife. Delmas, it Is said, may call to the stand Monday, an attorney from Pitts burg who will be asked as to tho interlineations made In the will and It Is expected to prove that they wero put there at the time the testament was signed. Falling to show that each one of the interlineations can be remembered by the witness, Delmas will offer a codicil to the will which is in the defendant's own hand writing without interlineations. It Is not definitely known whether all the references to Stanford White are In the codicil, but is known that some of them are. Evelyn Thaw also signed the will on the night of their wedding and It ta believed in It she carried out her pre vious stipulation that none of her rel atives save her brother should have any of his money. Several of Thaw's unusual and disconnected letters, In troduced In the evidence, have fre quently referred to his determination that Evelyn's mother should not have' any share In his property whatsoever. In the event of his wife's death the property should revert to the William Thaw estate. If finally admitted In evidence, Delmas then may ask to re call Mrs, Thaw to finish her narra tive. Thaw's counsel does not like the idea of the interruption to her story continuing; over any consider-' able duration of time. Should Jer ome again protest, several alienist employed by the defense, other than' Wiley, will be placed on the ' stanG.v They will be shown Thaw's letters to his lawyer and his wife, and then be confronted' by a hypothetical question embracing the wife's story of her ex- periences with Stanford White ami other details surrounding the case, and ultimately, the' shooting of White on Madison Square Garden roof. Attor neys for the defense will have a broader foundation for a hypothetical question when Its next alienist is put on the stand, and do not anticipate a repetition of the disaster of the first day. It was said tonight that District At torney Jerome's cross examination of Mrs. Thaw will be brief. The district attorney, being barred by the rules ot evidence from attempting to contro vert any of the things Mrs. Thaw says she told her husband, will confine himself to finding out If she tol Harry Thaw all the story she repeated on the witness stand. MURDERER BECOMES RICH. Italian Flees to America and Accumu lates Fortune. LONDON, Feb. 9. A dispatch to the Telegraph from Milan says that the authorities" revealed the whereabouts of the Florentine whose name Is not given, but who was ' sentenced soma years ago to penal servitude for life for the murder of two soldiers. : The' men escaped and could not be eraced. His name now appears In a list of those Injured In the San Francisco disaster. It Is said that he has lived in San Francisco for' some time and has ac cumulated' "a fortune. His extradi tion will be asked.