The Oregon daily journal., May 20, 1917, Page 5, Image 5

SPLENDID RECORD OF
WL BREWSTER BEST
Fl
REASON
R ELECTION
Gratuitous Public Service- in
Portland Has Extended
Over Past Quarter Century
WAS EXCELLENT OFFICIAL
Conscientious in Attention
During previous Term.
FOR CITY COMMISSIONER
Boning their claims for support anl
confident hopes of success mainly on
his record while city commissioner i
from 1913 to 1915 and on his recorl
for gratuitous public service extending
over a period of 25 years In Portland,
friend of W. L. Brewster are prepar
ing to launch a vigorous campaign to
secure his selection as one of the two
cily commissioners to be chosen by
the voters on June 4.
A voluntary campaign committee.
which Is to be augmented, consisting"
of R. W." "Montague, Arthur M. Church,
ill, Isaac Swett, J. B. Holbrook, J. B.
Kerr and E, B. McNaughton. is already
interesting itself In Mr. Brewster's
candidacy.
A recruit to the committee Is 'Mrs.
1. Gee, who has generally been
chosen to represent the working wo
men of Portland In hearings before
the Industrial Welfare commission of
the state. The offer of her support l
a direct result of her admiration for
Mr. Brewster engendered by his feplrit
n f nhrtliitA fslmana nA ImnflrtlnHtv
when he has served as a member of
the conference committee, represent
inu the public, in Industrial Welfare
commission hearings.
Others among, the leaders of the
workers in Portland are interesting
themselves actively In Mr. Brewster's
candidacy, recognizing in him not a
partisan, but a man who can be de-
rnjhd upon to have his attitude on
anyfcirticular question moulded only
by considerations of Justice and fair
play.
"Put Brewster Back."
"A man on whom all can unite,-'
is one of the phrases which has been
chosen as a campaign slogan for Mr.
Brewster, while another, based on ex
perience in city government. Is: "It
Is costly to educate new men; put
Brewster back," the latter part of the
sentence referring to the experience
which he gained In city administra
tion during his previous term ao com
missioner. As a beginning for an active cam
paign a plan has been worked out by
which several hundred voters who are
well acquainted with Mr. Brewster's
qualifications have been enlisted to
convey to others the information in
their possession. In this way it is
hoped to get in direct touch with prac
tically every voter pf the city before
election day.
,Mr. Brewster has been a resident
of Portland since 1891, coming here
shbrtly after graduating -from Colum
bia law school, New York City. Since
that time he has practiced his pro
fession continuously in Portland, with
the exception of the two years spent
as city commissioner. He Is married,
has one son and resides at 808 Loveioy
street--', he -fa 51 years of age. Born
at Philadelphia. Pa., in 1866, he was
1 I
i It-.' i- jf A s
W. Ii. Brewster, former commissioner of public affairs, whose record
in office, together with his years of community service, recommend
his candidacy for city commissioner.
reared In Massachusetts and secured
his education In the public schools of
that state and at Wesleyan university.
Mlddletown, Conn., and Amherst col
lege, Amherst, Mass.
Official Becord Excellent.
In 1905 he was appointed a member
of the Portland Civil Service commis
sion, continuing in that position until
1911. His record in this position was
one of strict adherence to the spirit
of the civil service law and regula
tions. From 1892 to 1895 he was a
member of Company K, the military
organization generally regarded as the
parent of the Oregon National Guard,
being discharged with the rank of ser
geant. Outside his work as city commis
sioner, however, Mr. Brewster's chief
activity has been as a director of the
Portland public library, work with
which he has been actively connected
for several years, giving his services
without compensation. The dissemi
nation "of information by means of ?
public library ha, in fact, been pretty
much his hobby and the library owes
to htm a great deal of the success
which It has attained along these
lines.
His first connection with work of
this character dates back to about
at present a member of the book com
From 1913 to 1917 Mr. Brewster
was a. member of the Oregon Textbook
commission,, the body which select
textbooks for the public schools of the
state of 5regon outside of Portland.
He was for several years secretary
of the Oregon Bar association. He Is
a member and one of the founders of
the University club. Other organiza
tions In which he holds membership
are the Waverley Country club. Cham
ber of-Commerce and the Civic league.
He is a member of the executive com
mittee of the last named organization,
which devotes its attention largely to
questions of the general welfare of
the people of the city of Portland.
Mot Swayed by Partisanship.
On several occasions he has repre
sented the public in Industrial Wel
fare commission hearings on hours.
wages and working conditions of fe
male workers of the state. In this
work both sides concede that his at
titude has never been swayed by par
tisan feeling.
As a city official Mr Brewster"s
strength was in his strict and consci
entious attention to business and his
policy of hewing strictly to the Hn
ithout regard to where the chips
fell. In following out this policy of
cofisiderinjp always the best interests
of the people of the city as a whole,
he brought upon himself the enmity
of many individuals and factions and
these enmities contributed largely to
his laiiure to te re-elected two years
ago.
As a politician he was and Is an
admitted failure, and this is the very
reason why many interested In seeing
men of his type at the city hall arc
now working hard to secure his elec
tion. His friends say that if the peo
pie of Portland send him back to th
city hall he is certain to resume his
former policy of serving the p'eople
and not the politicians, who have been
accustomed to "getting a little bit
the best of it."
Was Business-like Official,
As city commissioner, Mr. Brewster
was assigned to the department, of
public affairs, which has charge of
parks and playgrounds and the main
tenance of city buildings, and in tne
handling of the work of his depart
ir.ent he made a reputation for pains
taking and business-like efficiency.
He was also in charge of the unem
ployment problem and did much in
the way of supplying work, food and,
shelter for men unable to find work
during the winters of 1913-14 and
1914-15, securing in return full valu
for city funds so expended.
As administrator of the parks and
playgrounds, he changed the policy
which he found existing of doing im
provement work piecemeal, to one
whereby undertakings under way were
finished up aa far as- possible, thus
making the parks accessible for pub
lic uae. The lighting of the parks
was Improved, and better walks, more
toilets, wading pools and improved
playground equipment provided. It is
notable that attendance in the parks
Increased heavily during his term of
office, the excellent quality of tha
service rendered encouraging the pub
lic ,to make more use of these breath
ing spots. Mr. Brewster believed that
the attendance was th measure of
his success as a pafTadmlnlstrator.
Insurance Beforms Accomplished.
At his suggestion the city obtained
a lease for a year on the Gypsy Smith
tabernacle at a cost of $900. Several
public meetings were held there and
three concerts at which the nominal
admission price of 10 cents was
charged. Unable because of obstacles
FREE USE OF THE CITY:
STREETS I REQUESTED
THE JITNEY DRIVERS
Chauffeurs' Union Behind a
Charter Amendment to Be
Submitted to the People,
You Bet, George "Is Going to"
at at c ' X
It s Far Easier Ttan Doing It
OPPOSE FRANCHISE PLAN
Opponents of th Measure Declare That
the Amendment Would Throw
Streets Open, to Any Us. .
The Journal is publishing, for
the benefit of voters, ballot
titles and brief explanations of
measures to be voted on at the
regular city election to be held
June 4. These ballot titles
are being printed in the order
they ar to . appear on the of
ficial ballot, - and, arguments
both for and against are being
presented. The measures are
charter amendments and ordi
nances proposed by the Initia
tive, and amendments and ordi
nances presented by the city
council.
j Tw
SAYS I
iMEAltfT J 57
MAYOR KSCI'
PyVJ yet J x
7i ttg&ni 7 V)
ACTION OF HIGHWAY 3
COMMISSION SMASHES
PAVING TRUST I BOGIE
Props Are Knocked Frpm Un-;
der Last Argument Against
Road Bond Issue. ! ! ,
MORE THAN NEW RAILWAY
Clatsop County Xu Divas Bom
Irrefutable rgruaaats la Tavor
of ICsasure.
Wo 4.
An act amending the city charter
by adding thereto section Sa providing
that citlsens of Portland, Or., shall
have free use and occupation of the
streets for pleasure and profit with
out giving any bond or securing a
frapffiso, except for the erection of
refil way tracks, buildings or other ob
structions In the streets, and limiting d.v.p'.
license lees ror use oi streets.
Shall the charter be so amended?
10Q Yes.
107 No.
This is the ballot Utle of the char
ter amendment proposed by the Chauf-
1896, when the Portland library.
free library supported by voluntary
subscriptions came under his directo
rate. Through his efforts this :ibrary
which was in a rundown condition,
was rejuvenated, 5000 volumes of
standard works added to it, a compe
tent librarian employed and quarters
secured at the city hall. With only
5000 volumes, this library had nearly
as large a circulation as that of the
Portland Library association, with 1
times as many, the latter organisa
tion being open only to paying mem
bers.
Helped Establish Branch. libraries
In 1901, when the public demand for
a large free library had reached the
point of action, the Portland Public
library and the Library association
were merged and out of the merger
came the present public library at
Tenth and Yamhill streets, supported
by public taxation of the people of
Multnomah county. Mr. Brewster
has been continuously a director of over which he had no control, mainly
it and was chairman of the extension i the ordering of the old board of plans
committee which arranged for the va-! for a plot of ground of which the
rious branch libraries now in exist- city owned only two-thirds, to acta
ence, an extension of its activities ally begin construction of the aud:
wnich nasi added immensely to th tnrlnm Mr 'RrAWS.ter. npvrthola Ho.-
public valeu of the institution. He is
7ze measures
r pleases
meioplea&e
men wi
i
1
lily fr jgp m l&w
rryjj u uva mi iimiil.ii ii iiii raiii s yx . i
' 'Jm fW
am r m
Tney're reaWofliw I I
Pi '
8 I t !SS
SI SI 11 i I 1
Kill M ft -Y.'.y ft - .ft ft I
HUH 11 i a I I 1
mum
voted his efforts to untangling the
snarls and left things in rood shape
for his successor.
The Tree employment Dureau was
an admitted success under his man
agement. He did a great deal of work
resulting In the doing away with use
less printed forms. In the matter of
Insurance he stopped the practice of
giving the city's policies to a few
agents who happened to "stand In,"
and gave all a chance. He inaugu
rated the plan of placing the policies
on buildings which, in caae of loss
would have to be rebuilt out of bond
issues, omitting the smaller buildings
which could be replaced put of cur
rent revenue, and insuring some prop
erty which had previously been with
out Insurance.
Caused Big Saving.
The systematic nature of his work
can be Judged from the fact that ths
1913 city annual report had 167 pages
with nothing of value omitted, as com
pared with 1146 pages in the 1912 re
port, a big saving in printers' bills.
He collected and prepared for the
printer water statistics of over
of the largest cities of the Unit
States publishing them in a pamphlet
which gave basis for intelligent opin
ion on the use of meters, quarterly
billing and other matters affecting
the economy of water works.
He urged the employment of the,
Bureau of Municipal Research and
devoted a great deal of work to co
operating with the representatives of
that organization in the compilation
of the administrative code. Codifica
tion of city ordinances was anothe
task which occupied a great deal of
his time, work which orainarily would
be let by contract, thus adding to the
expense of city administration.
City Attorney La Roche, Municipal
Judge Stevenson and Purchasing
Agent Wood, appointed when the com
mission form of government first
went into effect, were all Mr. Brew
ster's nominees. All are Anceded to
have made competent officials. Judge
Stevenson recently resumed the mu
nicipal bench after once resigning, an!
Mr. La Roche is still city attorney.
Mr. Wood is no longer in the city'f
employ, the pfflce of purchasing agent
having been abolished for reasons of
economy, the duties being taken over
by Finance Commissioner Bigelow.
, ConstructiTS Lttri Fathered,
In the city hall various rWorms In
stituted by. Mr. Brewster, such as the
Installation of a messenger service,
better telephone system and improved
and more economical lighting sylstem.
made for time saving and greater effi
ciency on the part of city employes.
The traffic ordinance, the meat in
spection ordinance and the ordinanct
closing streets near school buildings
so that children might play in them
with safety, were all fathered and
drawn by Mr. Brewster. f
In brief, he was so busy with the
duties of his department thit no time
-w&s iei iur me repairing tut a ouiia-
ing of political fences, and this fact.
coupled with the hostility ef the peo
ple whose toes he stepped on, led to
his defeat when he sought to succeed
himself. His friends mean to see that
this time the voters are fully Informed
of his worth.
"I see the high cost of living and
the food speculators are on the skids;
going down; skldoolng," Fred aid,
smiling optimistically at Mr. T. Paer,
and handing him a cigar.
'Show me." answered T. Paer, who
by experience is not an optimist.
"Nothing easier," said Fred. "Didn't
you read In the paper about George
pledge to the housewives?
George is going. to do it. He said 'In
flated food prices must come Jown.' "
He s talking about puffed rice,"
said T. Paer.
"He is not." said Fred, bridling.
He Is talking about his campaign
Paer.
Fred un-
feurs' union, the local organization of for mayor,
Jitney drivers, to give the Jitneys tne "Synonyms." answered T.
use or tne streets without a rran- "Georsre said." continued
chise. Tfcey declare that such an mindful of the interruntion. "fimr
amenumeni is necessary lor ineir. said, 'I do maintain that an lntelll
isience oeeause unaer & irancmse pi an gent and energetic man in the office
iney wouia oe preciuoea rrom opera-- Qj mayor who put
ing. i ne proposea amenameni,is ine
result of a long; drawn out cotrn
versy between the Jitneys and those
organized in their efforts to curb the
activities of the new transportation
facilities.
The amendment condensed reads:
'The citizens of Portland shall hare
and enjoy the right to the free use of
mayor who puts his heart into it
can go a very long way In squeezing
the inflation out of artificial high
prices,
'If George puts his heart Into It
maybe the price of bull beef would
fall." said T. Paer, paring a callous
on his palm.
"Listen," said Fred: 'XSeorge says
th trt rnnrtii hlrhviva hrlilrra i nai ina oi mini nu gox. 10 Slop
and public thoroughfares for pleasure nd n only way to stop It Is to stop
and profit, but traffic thereon shall
not be unnecessarily obstructed by to vote at the soeclal election to be
any person Dy any sucn use ana ftoifceld June 4
citizen shall De required to nave or It j. planned to rive them an ot-
secure any irancmse, or give any dodo, nnrtunltv tn vat on atntii m.nr..
as a pre-requisite to the use of any ln the precinct nearest the point at
sucn Biri mini u- which they happen to be stationed.
sire 10 ereci or maintain Dunaings, raw- Those who are now ouartere out-
way tracks, wires or other obstructions ,hi Vnconvr hrra.u
or erections oyer, under. In or upon wm allowed to come to Portland to
citizen lor any sucn use snail not oe
It. We can stop it. As mayor of
Portland, I would take the initiative.
I will use the police department and
the health department, if necessary, to
combat the high price of food stuffs.
That kind of business hits got to stop
when I am mayor of Portland." Now
what do you think of that?"
"Piffle. Bunk. Twaddle." said T.
Paer. "What is George waiting for?
Why don't he do it now, or last year?
Why don't' he wallop the Ice trust,
now. before the days get hot? Why
didn't he reduce the high cost of slab
wood when he used to be in the coun
cil, or put the skids under the plumb
ing trust. Why didn't he call out the
police the o'ther day when Portland
housewives were paying more for
sugar than at any place on the coast?
What's he waiting to be mayor for?
Ain't he a commrssioner now? Why
don't he call out the.; fire department
right away?"
"He ain't mayor yet." answered
Fred. "Don't you tnink he is going to
if he Is?"
"Sure." said T. Paer. "Going to.
Just like he reduced the high cost of
the auditorium. George has been go
ing to ever since he first ran for city
councilman before I began to shave.
Sure he is going to going to going
to going to."
Bridge Gaanbj lift Jloboeg.
Ban Francisco, May 19. The hobo
Is becoming a stationary character, or
a pedestrian, at last. Western rail
roads report that militiamen woo
challenge all suspicious characters at
every bridge, railroad yard and tun
nel have made "riding the rods" or
traveling blind baggage almost,, Impossible.
materially greater than may be - re
quired to pay the actual cost of nec
essary regulation and control thereof;
provided, this limitation of li-cense
fees shall not be construed to apply to
any use for which a franchise may be
required."
The Jitney men say that the measure
will not preclude the city from regulat
ing the use of the streets, but will
limit the licenso fees exacted to the
actual cost of regulation. They say
that the act contains sufficient safe
guards to require general utilities to
secure franchises before beginning op
erations.
Opponents of the measure decjare
that the amendment will throw the
streets open to any use, and that while
the city will still be able to regulate
automobile and other traffic it will be
powerless to prohibit any vehicles on
the streets should the necessity arise.
An example of this would be found
In the case of popcorn wagons, ped
dlers, etc., which city officials, owing
to traffic congestion or something un-
forseen, might desire to keep off the
streets.
"Even the man who has played tha,
role of 'Doubting Thomas' regarding;
the good roads bonds must now admit
that he Is convinced stnee the state
highway commission In its decision
to purchase its own paving plants bas;
gone to the very heart of the allege! t
paving trust Influence." said William'
Schlmpff of Clatsop county yerterday;
Mr. Schlmpff was in Portland on;
business connected with the cranberry
Industry of his section. Speaking ofj
the sentiment in extreme western Ort
egon relative to the road bond a.;
tlon. June 4, he further said:
"It was not necessary for the nigh-'
way commission to state it would pur
chase paving plants and do the roa 1
construction proposed on force ; acr
count, provided proper bids from con
tractors could not be obtained, for
most every one knew that would bi
exactly the procedure, as it is In keep
ing with the good business reputation!
of the members of the commissions .-i
Hot I to Stand On. ,'
"Inasmuch as the commission ha
willingly and voluntarily gone on re,
ord to the public with such a stats-,
ment, however, there is now not" A,
leg left for those opposing the bonds,
to stand on. They all admit that they
want better roads, they all admltti-d.
that the bill to be voted on Is an, r
excellent measure, and the only stats-;
nuni. hv Vmlf wr Insinuations''
c .1 - -
that there might be paving trust vuit
tures standing ready to commit ,
overt act. --at
Koads Are Mors Important. : '
"On thing chould be borne in tnin4. '
at this time relative to highway con- -structlon.
It is bound to come. It?
must come. Any one who will reason
for one moment knows that Oregon a
a state must build roads. Then the
thing to consider is. shall ws delay,
starting on a comprehensive plan,,
longer? , t
"Htrd surfaced roads mean more tl, .
the people than, another railroad sysK:
tern. Delay only prolongs Jnconven- .
lence. reduced real estate values and,
economic loss to the producer through.
a heavy mua isi on evciwuus,
produces.
"The best argument otf all ln favor,,
of the proposed bond issue is that It,
does not require the creation of a fund
to pay the interest and retire tna
principal. i
"This fund Is already provided for
by the quarter mill tax and ths in,'
Creased license fees on motor vehW,
cles.'' " rj ..
PORTLAND
HEIGHTS
POLITICAL MEETING ON
IS
ATTRACTING NOTICE
Probability Is That Other
Similar Non-Partisan Gath
erings Will Be Held,
'The STORE THAT UNDERSELLS BECAUSE IT SELLS FOR CASH'
Timely and Important Offerings in
Trustworthy Seasonable Merchandise
On Special Sale for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Only
An Exceptionally Attractive Showing of
New Spring Embroideries
Thousands of yards, hundreds of patterns, widths,
chase at this sale and SAVE!
Dainty baby sets and edges on sals at, yard 1 0c
Swiss and Cambric edges, 9 to 12 in yard, 15c
Corset covers and flouncing, 17 in. width, at 17c
Cambric and Longdoth skirtings, 10-12 in., 25c
Corset cover and flouncing, 17 in., at, yard 25c
Baby and dress flouncing, in 27 in., at, yard, 35c
qualities and materials suitable for all purposstt pur-
Ruffled flouncing with Venice lace edge, yd., 75c
Colored emb. batistes and organdies, 40 in., 39c
Colored emb. voile and organdie, 45-in., yd., 59c
White and col'd voile 'flouncing, 45 in., yd., 98c
White voile flouncing, 45 in. width, yard, $1.59
i r
The meeting arranged by the resl
dents of Portland Heights at the Alns
worth school for next Wednesday
night when candidates and measures
Involved in the approaching election
will be discussed is attracting much
attention and it is likely that similar
meetings of a non-partisan character
will be-arranged ln the school houses
of other districts.
Dan J. Malarkey will preside Wed
nesday and will open the meeting with
an appeal to the voters to give more
attention to the approaching election
Both men and women are urged to at
tend the meeting as all the subjects
will be discussed and explained.
James B. Kerr will review In gen
eral the various measures on the bal
lot and this will be followed by talks
on individual items. Robert H. Strong
will review the qualifications of the
candidates for commissioner. County
Commissioner Rufus C. Holman will
discuss the road bonds and Forrest S.
Fisher will explain the bonds for the
building of grain elevators and the im
provement of the harbor. Arthur C.
Spencer will give a talk on the two
Jitney measures and there will be sev
eral other speakers.
The meeting will close with a debate
between thoso interested in the two
platoon system of the fire department.
Only residents of Portland Heights
will fee permitted to talk in the meet
ing which has been called with the sole
idea of having a neighborhood con
ference.
Wide Powers for Defense Council.
Madison. Wis.. May 19. Not only Is
the Wisconsin Council of Defense to
be empowered to seize foodstuffs and
fuel.- but by the provisions of an
amendment to the state defense bilH
the council shall have power to take
over . and commandeer all production
of. foodstuffs In the state.
State Militiamen
Will Not Lose Vote
Arrangements are being made where
by voters who are i members of the
state militia will not lose their right
Exceedingly Great Values in
Pongee Silks
69c af;.Ar:h'49c
Standard quality imported and domestic pongee
silks in natural color durable, fashionable and
especially desirable for spring and summer gar
ments. QQ yard For extra quality 3 4 jnch natural col
OaCored pongees, evenly woven and of perfect
weave.
Two Underpriced Offerings n
Woolen Dress Goods
42 inch width CQp 54 inch width
at, yard at, yard
Neat Checked Novelties 42 inch Mack and white
Shepherd checks in all size checks; also with col
ored over plaids in contrasting colors; 5 4 inch
black and white checked fabrics of excellent qual
ity and perfect weave and finish. f
79c
Beautiful New Silk-Mixed
Cotton Dress Goods
At 50c, at 60c and at 75c Yard
In these assortments you have choice from the
latest and best styles in silk mixed dress goods and
cotton suitings brocades, stripes, spot, figure and
sport, styles at 75c a yard we are also showing
the new silk mixed skirtings in the popular stripe
styles.
Dress Voiles
At 19c Yd.
200 pieces of fancy
dress voiles in dots,
stripes, flower, figure,
check and plaid styles.
Flags with pole, rope and holder they come 4 by
D feet st, tor tne complete
outfit
Voile Waisting
At 35c Yd.,
All white fancy stripe,
check and plaid voile
waistings in 38 inch
width.
$1.98
A Big Purchase and Sale
bf White and Flesh -Col-.
ored Brassieres at 29c
The very popular narrow bandeau
style with elastic insert at back or
plain patterns both front and back
hook all sizes from 32 to,44 gar
ments regularly sold at a great deal
more than the figures quoted for this
sale.
Box Paper at 35c
The celebrated commonwealth
lawn paper in white, pink, blue, corn
and lavender shades 24 sheets with
envelopes to match a fine finished
paper of extra quality.
Men's Cotton
Underwear
50c Gar.
Balbriggan shirts and
drawers in all sizes up to
50 drawers made with
bicycle seat.
Men's Cotton
Socks 20c Pr.
3 pr. for Sde They
come with black top
and white foot, or with
white sole seamless
toe, all sizes.
Sale of Women's Suits
At $18.95 ;
The most fashionable models! In
serges, poplins and taffeta silks
especially attractive models in belted
effects all sizes in navy, Copenhag
en, green, mustard, etc. Every suit
in this assortment an exceptional
bargain. 4
Sale of Sample Silk Skirts
$4.95 to $1SM J" '
Only one of a kinl amanufactor
er's entire sample line of women's
silk skirts, including all wanted plain
colors and the most fashionable
stripe styles. .
1 Store Opens I SlmCSSlt
at$:30A.M. (tgg
1 rsftD sfQrsiSL2
Saturdays
at 9 A.M.
j The Most in Value The Best in Quality
Store Closes
at 5:30 P. M.
' f;
Saturdays i .
at 6. P. Ml