UlUlflHKI FULL ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORT
COVERS THE MORNING FIELD ON THE LOWER COLUMBIA
VOLUME LXMI. NO. 412
ASTORIA, OREGON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1908.
PRICE FIYE CENTS
APPLICANTS
FOR LAND
Coos Bay Wagon Road
Grant.
HAVE A RIGHT TO BUY
Eighty-Six Applicants Have Com
menced Suit in the United
States Circuit Court
AGAINST PRESENT POSSESSOR
Southtrn Oregon Company Holds 92..
OOO Acres and Its Chief Stockhold
er! An Residents of New York and
Boston Applicants Want the Land
PORTLAND. Feb. 21-Contcnding
that the applicants (or the land of
the Coot Bay wagon road grant
should have a right to buy land in 160
acre tracts at price not to exceed
2.50 per acre, 86 applicant! have
commenced suit iu the United States
circuit court against the present pos
sessor of the land which is the South
ern Oregon Company whose chief
stockholder reside in New York and
Boston. The applicants want 17,000
of 92,000 acres held by the com
pany. " I
of "Iron J;!c" Grant, an ex-pugilist,
to kill himself. Grant jumped from
the Brooklyn Drlrige into the water
nearly ISO feet Iclow missing a tug
and an ice float by only a few inches
The net result of his efforts was not
what he expected death but just one
black eye. Previously .Grant, who
........ .1....... .1.- - II..! -1
vmm iu uvucitc me HJCIIilllon 01
"Iron Jack" had attempted suicide by
drinking laudanum and severing the
arteries in both his arms. Any one of
his three efforts ordinarly should
have proved fatal, but he has now
decided that death isn't so easy after
all and that he will have to wait hit
FLEET-INVITED.
Australia Invites ths Fleet to go
Horns by Their Country.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2I.-The in
teresting snd important newt of the
movements of the American battle
ship fleet was made public at the
conclusion ofa cabinet meeting to
night. A most cordial invitation was
received from the Austrslian govern
ment, asking that the fleet or portion
of the fleet visit that country. After
expressing the apprecistion of the
invitation Secretary Metcalf ssid: ,
"The eventful movements of our
fleet have not been determined. While
it is possible that the vessels will re
turn by wsy of Sues, I would be glad
if some of them could be sent by the
Australian route but it would be pre
mature to promise this."
, "IT IS SIMPLY FICTION."
Lincoln Steffens in Msgssine Article
Romance About Harvey W. Scott
PORTLAND. Feb. 21. -In the
March number of the American maga
zine is an article by Lincoln Steffens
on Oregon affairs, wherein he gives
the text of a telegram said to have
Decn written dv ji. w. scon, eaitor
the Orcsoman. and tent by W. M.
d to Jonathan Bourne at Salem
during the Oregon senatorial cam
paign in 1903. Mr. Scott is declared
to have made offers of various kinds
to Mr. Bourne in consideration of Mr.
Bourne's support of Mr. Scott for
Senator.
The Oregonian tomorrow will say
editorially: "it is simply fiction. This
so-called agreement, alleged to havo
been written by Mr. Scott, was not
written by him nor dictated by him,
nor ever seen by him till now. It
never existed. It is a fabrication by
somebody and a sheer forgery. It
follows, of course, that it was not
"wired" to Salem on the last night of
the session, or at any time, by Mr.
Lndd, or by anyone else, and Mr.
Ladd, moreover, never saw it till it
was shown him in this magazine
article." " 1
.,; UNEXPECTED DEATHS.
NEW YORK, February 21.
Just how near unexpected death
lurkes in the metropolis and obverse
iy how difficult it may be to find it
was never more theatrically illustra
ted than in several surprising hap
penings this week calculated to instill
imp even the average person a certain
amount of respect for the eastern pro
verb "Unto every man his death ap
pointed time." On one morning was
chronicled the strange death of Mar
tin Seaks, who suffering from a chap
ped face had purchased a bottle of
lotion which he rubbed on at retiring.
Rising in the night to get a drink he
struck a, match. That was his last
cious act for his face Immedi-
ely took fire and he was so badly
burned that he died a few hours later.
For him death lurked in the innocent
seeming lotion. The following day
came the third unsuccessful attempt
ALL MAIL HELD UP
Postmaster General Orders Mail
for Syndicate Held Up.
IS USING TILLMAN'S NAME
Ths St. Paul-Pacific Timber Syndicate
and Its President, Byron R. Dorr,
Cannot Receive Any Mall Till
msn's Name Used in Litersture.
PORTLAND, Feb. 21.-Under in
structions from the postmaster-gen
eral, all mail addressed to St. Paul
Pacific timber syndicate or to its
president, Byran R. Dorr, is to be
withheld from delivery until further
notice. The order was issued on the
representation of Senator Tillman of
South Carolina that the company was
using his name in its literature with
out his authority. '
GROWTH
NEUHAUSEN TO RESIGN.
TORTLAND, Feb .21. -The Ore
gonian tomorrow will say that Thos.
B. Ncuhausen, special inspector of the
Interior Department, will tender his
resignation to the Secretary of the
Interior when the pending Oregon
land fraud cases are tried or other
wise disposed of. Neuhausen desires
to enter private business, Neuhausen
will leave for Los Angeles Sunday
night to assist Tracy C. Becker,
special assistant to the attorney-
general, in arguing the application of
the government for the removal to
this state of several alleged land
fraud operators charged with having
illegally acquired 18,000 acres of land
in Crook county,
NO WAGE REDUCTIONS, r
NEW YORK, Feb. 21. -Railroad
officials commenting upon Roosevelt's
asking for the data that might shed
some light upon the wage controver
sies between the railroads and em
ployes indicated clearly today that
wage reductions are not contem
plated. ' ' '' ' ''' "
CAGE FALLS.
WILKESBARRE,' Pa., Feb. 21.
Four men were killed and four prob
ably fatally injured, when the car in
which they were being lowered in ji
mine fell to the bottom today
OF
NEW NAVY
Senator Perkins Speaks
In the Senate.
IS SECOND SEA POWER
Surpassing France By a Small
Margin Outstripping Germany,
Russia and Japan.
POPULAR BRANCH OF SERVICE
Perkins Declared the Encouragement
Given the Iron and Steel Industry
by Construction of Ships of War
Had a Very Potent Influence,
WASHINGTON, Feb. .21.'-Sena
tor Perkins, of California, today spoke
in the Senate on the justification of
the expenditures for upbuilding the
American navy and of the policy of
sending a fleet into the Pacific Ocean.
He reviewed the achievements of the
navy and declared it the most popular
branch of the government service.
The Senator sketched the growth of
the new navy from 1833 to the present
day when the United States has be
come a second sea power in the, sur
passing France by a small margin in
strength and fighting force, far out
stripping Germany, Russia and Japan.
Perkins declared the encouragement
given the iron and steel industry by
the construction of ships of war had a
very potent influence by bettering the
conditions of the workingmen and
that money expended for the ships
of war therefore was not an economic
loss, judged by a single trade alone.
The Senate adopted Tillman reso
lution authorizing the attorney-gen
eral to prosecute the transportation
companies of Oregon that have re
ceived public lands and have violated
the terms of the grant.
WAR FUND.
Brewers Unite in a Common War
fare Against Temperance Movements.
CHICAGO, . f'cIT 21. The U. S.
Brewers Association and the U. S.
Masters Associations have united in
a common warfare against prohibit
lion and temperance movements.
They have pledge many thousands of
dollars at a "war fund" with which to
fight Sunday saloon closing and to
stop the wave of prohibition. '
The action was taken yesterday at
a retsion of the executive officers of
both organizations held here.
Rudolph Brand of Chicago was
fleeted chairman of the conference.
Edward A. Faust, of St. Louis review-
i'd the movements of the prohibition
ists throuih the Southern and West
crn states and asseited that the time
was ripe for action on the part of
li'iu. r interests.
Brewers from all parts of the coun
try attended the meeting.
HUNT
, WAS FAULTY
SHIPPING TIED UP.
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 21. Fifty
longshoremen employed by the Pa
cific Lumber Company struck today
on being notified that their wages
would be reduced from $4 to $3.50
per day. It it expected other firms
will follow suit and that the long
shoremen will strike. Sixty steam
schooners of a total of 101 in the
coast trade are tied up and the indi
cations now are that the lockout of
engineers will result in an almost
complete tie up of the coast shipping
for a time. ,
NEWSPAPER STATISTICS.
-NEW YORK, February 21.-
More publications . are printed in
New York than in any other city in
the world, or in many states and for
eign countries. The total at present
fulls just short of 1000, indicating the
tremendous increase in the con
sumption of reading matter through
out the country. Some surprising
and interesting statistics regarding
newspapers throughout the United
States have been gathered by Apple
ton's Magazine and are presented in
an article to appear 'in the March
number. According to this article,
which is written by General Charles
II Taylor, otje of the most widely
known men in the newspaper busi
ness, the total circulation of the news
papers of the country in 1907 was up
wards of ten billion copies. The
total income from advertising and
circulation is estimated at $200,000,-
000 a year which makes newspaper
publishing one of the great businesses
of the country. ARpleton's is devot
ing much attention to newspaper and
the Important part they play in Ameri
can life, having published an article
this month telling of tlfe services of
the press in stopping the spread of
of the panic last fall. The forth
coming article asserts that there
never was a time when the newspaper
reader got so much for his money
as today and the claim is borne out
by the statistics that are given.
JAPS DISCHARGED
But Held By the Immigration of
ficials Pending Appeal.
Decision of the Court of
Appeals.
REVIEW OF THE CASE
DETERMINATION OF RIGHTS
Chief Justice Hunter Directed That
the Two Japanese Now Lying in
Westminster Jail for Violating the
Natal Act be Discharged.
VANCOUVER, B. C, Feb. 21.
Chief Justice Hunter today directed
that the two Japanese now lying in
Westminster jail for violating the re
ccntly passed Natal Act of the Prov
ince should be immediately discharg
ed from custody. The justice said
there was no doubt that the provincial
act must be held as in operative as
regard the subjects of Japan seeking
to enter the Provinces. Immediately
Mr. Cassidy, representing the govern
ment of British Columbia gave notice
of an appeal. The Japanese in ques
tion will now be detained by the im
migration officials pending the deter
mination of their right to enter this
country under the Dominion immi
gration laws.
BLOCKS CONDEMNED.
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 21. -The
result of a visit of inspection by the
members of the marine hospital serv
ice, the citizens' health committee,
and the city board of health, to what
is known as Butchertown, the de
cision was reached to begin at, once
the actions to condemn as unsanitary
and a menace to the public health
the three square blocks in that dis
trict '" ' ;
SMOULDERING FIRES.
"Uneasy Lies the Head That Wears
... a Crowa"
PARIS, Feb. 2L A special dis
patch from Lisbon says the greatest
uneasiness ' prevails there. The palace
is surrounded by troops, the entire
garrison is confined to the barracks
and ball cartridges have been issued
to the men.
Point of SchmitzVAttorney Was
That the Indictments do Not
Charge Public Offence.
'5.11).
REPLY TO THE PROSECUTION
The Supreme Court Has Until March
I to Grant or Deny Prosecutions'
Plea for a Rehearing Schauta May
be Admitted to Bail
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 21.-The
brief of former Mayor Eugene E.
Scbmitz in reply to the appeal of the
prosecution to the supreme court for
a review of the decision of the court
of appeals in the extortion cases,
when it was decided by the latter
court that the indictment of Schmitz
was faulty, was filed by the attorneys
for Schmitz today. The main point
of Schmitz' attorneys for was that
the indictments charging Schmitz
with extortion do not constitute a
public offense, that the threats which
caused the French restaurant keepers
to pay tribute was not unlawful. The
supreme court has until March 8 to
grant or deny the prosecutions' plea
for a re-hearing. If the plea is denied
Schmitz will be admitted to bail and
the live indictments against him as
well as those against Abe Ruef on a
similar charge will be invalid.
devious trust methods for getting rid
of competitors, saying, in his opinion,
" cannot resist the conviction that
the writ is desired to further the in
terests of the relators in their rival
company and for some ulterior pur
pose" Joseph is defendant in a suit
brought by the minority stockholders
of another concern who allage that he
has sold them out to the trust and the
four million meat consumers in the
city are hoping that in the general
clearing up which it taking place it
will be possible to free them from
the tightening grip of the meat mon-
opiy.
MAY 17th. 1914.
MORAL HOUSE CLEANING.
NEW YORK, Feb. 21,-The panic
and the business depression that has
followed it has had one good result
in that it has given time for a moral
house-cleaning that seems to have
been badly needed. The number of
multi-millionaires of a few months
ago whose fortunes have .vanished
into the thin air from which a good
part of them were drawn is equaled
only by the bank officials and con
trollers who are likely to have ' a
chance to study the architecture of
the criminal courts-from the inside.
For the general business welfare the
most important effect is the breaking
up of the relations between chains of
paper-owned banks and the specula
tive enterprises of their owners. The
trusts too have come in for a certain
share of official attention. Govern-
nor Hughes has taken action resulting
in the appointment of a special pro
secutor for the Ice Trust case and
there is a growing feeling among
certain trust agents that New York
is not the healthiest place imaginable
for them just now. The plans of the
Beef Trust for securing its domin-1
ance of New York markets received
what is generally regarded as a body
blown in a decision handed down a
few days' ago against a man alleged
to be one of its secret agents main
tained for the purpose of eliminating
competing interests by absorption.
The decision in question, rendered by
Justice Greenbaun of the Supreme
Court, denied the petition of Freder
ick Joseph, now president of the New
York Butchers Dressed Meat Com
pany, an association of the city's in-
rflependent dealers, and formerly an
officer, of Schwarzchild and Sulzber
ger, an independent concern, for a
writ allowing him to examine the
boks of the latter company. Justice
Greenbaun did not hesitate to. indi
cate his belief that the writ was not
sought in good faith but as part of
Proposed Present to Mother Country
Costing $100,000 by Norwegians.
CHICAGO, Feb. 21.-A movement
to present the mother country with a
suitable token of love of her emigrat
ed sons and daughters will be
launched tomorrow by leading Norwegian-Americans
from all parts of
the country, who will gather in con
version here The object of the gath
ering is to start a widespread sub
scription for a fund of $100,000 with
which to purchase the proposed gift
is to be given to Norway on May 17,
1914, the centennial of the adoption
of the Norwegian constitution.
'- -t-. -i
1011 BALLOTS.
MARYSVILLE, Ohio, Feb. 21,
The eighth district congressional
convention called to name a candidate
to succeed Congressman Cole ad
journed sine die tonight without hav
ing made a nomination. They had
1011 ballots. . , .
MURDERS
OPERATOR
Robs the Railway Stations and
Postoffices.
IN SCUFFLE KILLS THE AGENT
West Virginia, Pennsylvania His
Pirncipal Field of Action Although
he Took a Trip to Frisco, Back to
Boston and Arrested in New York
NEW YORK, Feb. 21,-The arrest
here last night of James A. Baker
charged with killing E. Y. Hutchin
son, a telegraph operator at Claring
ton, W. Va., and robbing the railway
station at that point, came after a
chase o San Francisco and back to
New York which was participated in
by postoffice Inspector Kincaid and
Detective Riger and Nuss of the Penn
sylvania Railroad. The officers say
that Baker, whose home is at Colum
bus, O., confessed to the killing of
Hutchinson, Dec. 29 and to the rob
bery of a number of postoffices and
railroad stations. The officers say i
that Baker is of good family and is .
an amateur at robbery. They believe
that he began his systematic robbing
of smah postoffices and express of
fices only in November last. He has
worked under many different aliases
among them "C. C. Rogers," and "J. ;
H Young."
It was while asking for mail at the
New York postoffice under the lattes
names that he was arrested. The
detectives say they have discovered
that under the latter name he is
engaged to marry a girl of good fam- .
ily in Pittsburg, whose name they
refuse to divulge. It was Baker's
method, the detectives claim, to pick
out unfrequented stations where there
was np one on duty at night and Tob
them when there was little chance of
his being caught. In these, robbery
they say, he frequently secured rail
road mileage books and it was by the
sale of these books that he was traced.
The first crime which they saw,
Baker's handiwork was in the latter
part of November, whenthe Thomp
son, Pa., station on the Baltimore
and Ohio was robbed of about $500
worth of pay checks and express
money orders. On Dec. 1, Baker is
alleged to have admitted, he robbed
(Continued on page 8.)