THE OREGON DAILY JOURNAL. PORTLAND, OREGON
SATURDAY. MARCH 3,
If "1
AM TVDKPRNDKTT VKWRPAHEIt
U 14. JACKMOM..... .... ....Psouasei
' I Be caln. be confident, t chi-erfnl ad do onto
tir u yno would hee thewr ante you. I
i'ublisned eeery week dr and ttuixiay moraine
The Journal buiklina-. Broadway and Im
hill ), Portland. Oregow. " ' '
svotrKd at tne postoflsca at l'ortiaod. O.ngo.
tor transmission throuza U mail a second
riasa matter.
AU riepartsaenta iwchyl bT t oanbees.
ISA i lONAl., AUVlklt'tlSlNO llkfiiti t.VrA
TIVK Benjamin Kentnor -'., Bnu"""
building. 225 VUth avraoe. Jiew xort; 00
V Mailers bnldin, Chicago. .
- i'A IFIU COAST kKPHEaENTATlVB W. k.
Haranser Co.. Examiner enildina, Sea a
wa; Title iwuniM euudinc. Loe iHi
Poet- rnWIicuwr bnihMna-, Seattle.
'AHE OUEUCN JOCKNAt, reserree Ue riaht to
reject advertising copy which it deema -JrcUonabie.
It ate will sot print any opy
tliat in any way emmlatee readms matter e
that cannot readily ba t4cognied ee adtw-
ttsmg. - ' - : ' -
BUHHCKUTION RATES
" By Orriet. CMy and CoanttT :
DA1MT ASl) SUNUAY
' Ona wees- . .1 I On asontri
DAILT I ' UNIAX - '
Ona $ .19 I Ona week..... .9 .
" Ona month..... .46 I -
' B I MAIL. AU. RATES PAT A RTJE VS AJ3TANOB
(Km yaar ot0
Tore month.. .$2.28
On soBth..... . ,78
; BUXDAT v
(Only)
Ona year. ..... JS.00
Hix month .... 1.75
Three months... 1.00
Bui aontiM. . . . . i.JJ
DAH.T ,
(Without Sunday)
Ona year ...... $8.00
fill month..... S.2S
.Three montna... 1.78
. Ona monui. .... .60
(Emy Wednesday)
Ona yeer. . , . . .ll.OO
ai. . fin
WEEKf-T AND
SUN DAT
On yaar. ... . .3.60
M ' biviium ....
The rtr appir only m we www.
Hi tea to Eastern pointa furnished en anpllcn
tinn. Make remittaneee by Mnwr Ordrr, Express
Order os Draft. II your postoffioe la not a
liufy Order office. 1 or 2-oent etampa wiU.be
awepted. Malta ail lemrttancee pasble to Tba
Journal, Portland. Oron.
Hold on with a bulldot trip, and ehaw
and choke aa much aa poaaibla.
Abraham Lincoln.
UNDER THE YOKE
PROPERTY is for sale all over Or
egon.often at a price less than
the assessed valuation or taxable
(,' value. : .
V A certain building was sold m
Itosebur,? recently for $6000. The
taxable value was $7600. The pur
chaser went to the board of equall-i
sation and asked that the assessed
value be" lowered to conform vith
the market value. It was reduced to
$5500. . ' ' .
Five lots changed hands In Port
land recently at $80 a lot. They
were assessed at approximately $260
a let. The" purchaser could go to
the board of equalisation and the
board would undoubtedly reduce the
assessed value .to conform with the
market value.
Five lots cannot be assessed at one
figure and the adjoining lots or lot
across the, street be assessed at a
figure twice aa great. The tendency
then would be reduction, In the
course of time, of the assessed value
of the adjoining property and the
remaining property In the district.
The same tendency will appear in
other districts. In time the assessed
values would decline over the entire
city.
t Sales below the assessed value are
taking place in Portland, many of
them. There are, of course, various
reasons for the decreased value.' One
of the big reasons is taxes.
If the market values continue to
decline, assessed values will decrease
with them. If the assessed values
are lowered and .. the tax levying
bodies Impose the same burdens that
are now carried by the people of
this city and state, the rate of taxes
on every piece of property. Improved
and unimproved, will increase unless
additional taxable ; property- Is
brought into the state, '.f' ' r
And will it come? "With a de
creasing property value and an In
creasing tax rate will a new Indus-
. try come into Oregon to establish a
' plant? Would a business man under
those conditions enter this field?
i Would a man come here from an-
other state to erect, a home? s. Or
f would the industrial executive, th
business man, or the homebuilder
i search for sites in other states where
the property values are not declin-
Ing and where the rate of taxation
? is not increasing? ' - ' "
; That la exactly the situation that
is threatening this state. Many
properties are selling below the as
' sessed value. Assessed values .may
decline. If they do, the tax rate on
every piece of taxable property will
; ' be Increased unless new taxable
- wealth is brought here. And we are,
1 by our taxes, placing a barrier be
I tween the industrial investor, the
, business man, the home builder and
sites In the state of Oregon.
Is it wise policy, or is it suicide?
' Should we increase the burdens on
the taxpayers who are now under
the yoke in Oregon and drive them
v from their land and state, or should
V we throw down the" bars; to - allow
other capital to enter and lighten
' the load on those who are now car
rying the heavy tax burden
The saving thought in the situa
tion is that Portland and Oregon
v are too rich In resources to become
embarrassed or bankrupted and that
we shall presently correct our; ex
travagant tax exactions and go gack
to sanity.
RATTUNO THEIR BONES
WHEN visitors come to Portland
. to view the Kose Festival will
part of their entertainment consist
of the privilege of feasting their eyes
on our dilapidated streets?
Will those motorists who come
from' cities , of smooth streets each
be warned to drive his automobile
with great care over the rough spots
In Portland pavements lest he dam
age his spine? j . .'
For: the benefit of visitors to the
great show will danger signs ; be
posted on the ; roughest streets by
day and red lanterns . by night, or
are all guests to go ahead rattling
their bones over 1 the . stones to the
destruction of their tires, and at the
imminent risk of their health and
of seasickness? And will photos of
sections of Portland streets, say over
on, Hawthorne ave'nue, or of certain
blocks near the city hall, be provided
visitors as mementoes s of perils en
countered but from which s they
happily escaped?
. Are! we inviting guests here to see
the beautiful festival of roses or to
give them a trip through the rocky
roads to lublin : - ,. .. - v
Have the Rosel Festival directors
any plans pertinent Jto Portland
streets? ; Or have city j authorities
any plans? Or are all improvements
to be postponed until the 1925 expo
sition, has come to pass or the mil
lennium is reached? .- i
A West Virginian yesterday de
clared that he hoped "that God will
strike me dead If I made that state
ment," and Immediately toppled over
dead. -His relatives would have a
stubborn 'tlmo endeavoring" to con
vince his auditors that the dead man
had not made the statement.
GOVERNOR HART'S VETO
C GOVERNOR HART'S veto of
-X Washington's appropriation for
the Northwest Tourists' association
is inharmonious t with the Seattle
idea. . Seattle ; has understood xthe
value of the Northwest bid for
tourist business, and, with a generous-
cordiality, the Seattle Chamber
of , Commerce in widely published
advertising has urged Seattle's tour
ist guests to visit all other Northf
west cities. This spirit of cordiality
and cooperation has given that union
in "which there is strength to the
movement to bring wanderers - and
globe trotters Into the -Northwest. ;
The Northwest country can well
afford to be seen.; , Its whole perspec
tive is one of lure and charm. Its
handicap has been that It ' failed to
make itself known to "the rest of
the -'country. That ; was being ef
fectively done until Governor Hart
pulled down the plan with his veto.
. Washington people could make no
better Investment than by popular
subscription to privately do what the
governor prevented from being done
publicly. . ; . ;
Any giver can direct in what cause
his contribution jtd the Community
Chest may be spent. Most people
will not care, believing as they will
that whatever the cause it will be
well spent.
JAKE HAMOK'S VICTIM
TO I BAR films , exploiting Jake
Hamon's victim from "all the
atres controlled by them has been
agreed to by unanimous vote of the
members of the Motion Picture
league of Oregon. - Movie men in
some ; other, states have, announced
the same' policy. j i 'A ; i
It is to their credit. The bid of
$25,000 a year for Clara Hamon as
a movie star is a plan by film makers
to coin dividends . by an appeal to
the morbid appetite of: the country.
It is a program j that places a very
low estimate upon popular taste and
public morals. : , ,
The girl has done nothing to make
herself a lure to movie patrons ex
cept to figure in: a shooting, a spec
tacular flight and a sensational trial
with ugly details. ;
The enterprise is a proposal to
make her a heroine as a result of
acts not at all heroic. It is a pro
posal to glorify .'incidents in which
there is everything to condemn and
nothing to glorify.
I The late years of the girl's' life
have been a career of shame. , She
Is certainly to i be pitied and i no
chance should be denied her to atone
for and rise out - of her past. But
In the name of the clean homes of
America and in ; the name of the
morals of America.: and for the sake
of the adolescent girls of America,
let there be no exaltation before the
country j; of this unfortunate girl
whose only claim to distinction is
that she was the victim of a big
brute's passion, i r
Get ready for the big drive next
week. How much are you going to
give? . ! -
SIGNS THAT DEFACE
" " -aawaawawaawa. .. -
XrlERE was a time when the tilted
lands in the gorge of the Co
lumbia were assessed at as little as
$5 an acre.
That was before the Columbia
JRiver highway was built.
The increased value of these lands
today results exclusively from the
building of the - highway.
The taxpayers paid millions of
dollars for the highway.
Naturally, the assessment ' against
the abutting property, at Its insignifi
cant valuation and at the prevailing
rate was practically nothing. : , The
Increased value of adjoining land
cost " the owners almost nothing.
- The building of the highway was.
however, justified because it made
accessible for the pleasure and de
light of 'beauty seekers everywhere
the great', scenic picture gallery
which nature had spent centuries
preparing.!.
At the very beginning It was
agreed that the masterpiece views
of the eorge must not be defaced.
The heads of the sign companies with
commendable, nubile spirit agreed
that no signs of theirs should ever
be placed along the highway.
Their promise has been kept.' But
Chairman Holm an of the county
commission complains ' with justly
righteous indignation that signs are
appearing and that they are erected
by owners of property in the gorge.
Do these defacers of their own es
tates realize '. the ' injury they are
doing to their property? The high
way will become, a ' scenic mockery
It signs obstruct the view. People
will hear about signs from irritated
visitors who will. forget the scenery.
The Offending property owners have
no right thus to. exploit the public's
investment." The signs should be
removed.. NO more should be
placed, so long as the highway is
traversed. .- : . i:l t v' i
Japan has passed a big armament
bilL She is building warships against
a big American navy in Pacific wa
ters. America is building warships
against a big Japanese navy In Paci
fic waters.! And there you are. And
more than $90 out of every $100 of
federal tax money goes for wars past
or to come.
TELEPHONE RATES
TAXES are very high. Nobody
will dispute that statement. 'Yet
the entire tax that a certain Port
land home , owner pays is $100 a
year, while his telephone costs him
$ 5 1 a year. That Is to say, the tele
phone service .has become so 'ex
pensive that its cost is more than
half as much as the whole cost of
state, county, city, i school and all
other government combined, f f
His case Is typical. The mere Item
of telephone service, a service that
a few years ago was unknown anfe
unused, has . become so expensive
that 'telephone corporations, by im
plication," contend that what they
do for the individual is worth more
than half as much to him as all
that la done by state government
with all its officials, ; commissions,
employes, prisons and asylums and
by all the county government with
Its officials and employes and jails
and courts and by the city with all
its officers, em ployes, courts, i po
lice stations, fire departments and
prisons and by the educational sys
tem with its : universities, normal
schools, high schools, elementary
schools, professors, teachers, - super
intendents and the millions of value
Invested in school ; properties and
plants. : . , ',;
If-taxes are high, what about tele
phone rates?- But, through its 25
subsidiaries and by Its own power
as the central body which directs
everything! telephonic, the American
Telephone & Telegraph company is
in control of the telephone service
of the nation and is not subject to
control by any public authority.
Being in control, this telephone
colossus piles profit on profit and
that is why the privileges 4 of 'a
phone cost " half as much as the
privileges and protection and : bene
fits of all ; state, county, city, school
and other local government. .
The Community Chest proposes
the gathering of all the money for
charity and character building in 'a
single .week. To you it means one
gift for the whole year. " 'X
GERMANY AND COAL,
TTHERE should not be further pro-
testations from Germany rela
tive to her inability to meet the
allied demands for coal. She could
easily have met them before. Cer
tainly she will have no ground for
debate since the Slleslan plebiscite.
The pre-war consumotion of nit
coal in the territory which now con
stitutes Germany is estimated at ap
proximately 140,000,000 tons a year!
For her own consumption and pay
ment to the allies of 2.000,000 tons
a month, Germany heeds an annual
coal supply of 164.000,000 tons. ,
Ane present production within
Germany is estimated at 132,000,000
tons. She ; Is now . Importing from
Silesia 12,000.000 tons annually, giv
ing her a total at the present rate
of production Of 144.000,000. or 20.
000000 tons less than required. I j
But her present production is 14
per cent less than It was seven years
ago. By stimulating her productive
forces, as Germany is expected to,
and must do if she is to live, her
available coal will reach a total suf
f icient to easily meet the demands
of home consumption and the allies.
And in addition she will be left the
Slleslan output in excess of 12,600,
000 tons. :.!;-f'-
If Germany is expecting the allies
to judge -her ability to pay repara
tions by the output of only part of
her productive forces, her statesmen
have again gone wrong on the
temper of the world. To pay, Ger
many must go to work; and the
sooner the better.
The Rose Festival board has de
clared Itself in favor of a children's
parade on the East Side. Unless
some of those East Side streets are
repaired a parade might be a
dangerous undertaking, f
POSTOFFICES AS
SPOILS
Rumored Purpose of G. O. P. Leaders
to Go Back to Old System Excites
the Nation's Kditors, Few, of
Whom. Kven ? Amonr Re
publicans, took: With
Favor Upon Such
Reaction.
" D'aily Editorial Digest
" (Consolidated Praaa Vaociat4ot
It is reported that a canvass win be
made In con stress to determine the senti-
nent among Republican members toward
"a return , to the old spoils system or
handing out postof flee jobs. - Rumor
has it that such a return is threatened
in a proposal of the new administration
to rescind the order placing postmaster
ships under civil service. However, if
this canvass develops no stronger sup
port for the proposed change than is
found in the editorial columns of the
country's newspapers, the incumbents
can feel fairly . free from worry over
unemployment While It is true that
most of the papers commenting on the
matter are Democratic, still few Re
publican writers ' approve the principle
of overtorning the merit system.. Post
master General Burleson's statement of
the political affiliations of postmasters
who were "covered Into the civil service
by executive order Is generally accepted
as evidence of the fairness of the ap
plication of that Order. : And the old
shibboleth, "for the good of the service,
is evoked in opposition to a change.
Nevertheless, some papers fear that the
change will conje. -, The Pittsburg Sun
(Dem.) predicts that "inasmuch as Mr.
Harding, frankly states that his is to be
a strictly partisan administration, it it
not improbable" . that this "reactionary
course will be pursued.' The Birming
ham News (Dem.) "does not want to be
lieve that. Warren G. "Harding is a pro
vincial politician, a good fellow who
would rather please a few friends than
to safeguard and perfect the postal ma
chinery,' but the Brooklyn Eagle (Ind.
Dem.) does not "hesitate- to say that
never baa the so-called merit system
been In so grave peril as at the present
time," though it is willing to submit
to the "inevitable" now, in the conviction
that further experiment . with the old
"spoils system will prove even , to Its
advocates that progress is more to be
sought than retrogression "
The Springfield Republican (Ind.) "de
plores" Senator Lodge's denunciation of
the executive order as a "humbug,"
since "the senior Massachusetts senator
Is bound to exercise much influence with
the new president in shaping bis civil
service policy." But, agreeing with a
number of other writers, the Republican
feels that Mr. Burleson has fully
answered Senator Lodge's charge. In
reply to the accusation that the offices
had been - filled with Democrats before
the blanket' order "was Issued, former
Postmaster General Burleson gives sta
tistics of the political affiliations of the
appointees affected which the New York
World Dem. ) finds "reassuring" and
which, in the opinion of that paper,
"will go far toward arousing proper
sentiment against any proposal to re
establish the old spoils system." Judging
by this report it is clear to the New
York Times (Ind. Dem.) that "President
Wilson's executive order has been fol
lowed in the letter and the spirit and
that the highest qualified names on the
eligible list have been submitted. In
short, the merit system has been en
forced fairly."
a a
The Burleson report is not. so convincing-
to the Pittsburg Dispatch Ind.),
however. ""Naturally," it thinks, "the tes
timonials made public say just what the
department wanted," and the purpose
was merely an "attempt to forestall any
reversal of the executive order by Presi
dent Harding." Asserting- Its "firm and
consistent" championship of civil service,
the Dispatch insists, nevertheless, that
"genuine civil service implies admission
from the beginning by compliance with
civil service standards, not grafting it
upon a political patronage already in
office." The Baltimore American (Rep.)
also feels that the "civil service system"
as practiced in the last administration,
which "Mr. Harding is reported on the
eve of attacking," is one that has been
made "to serve merely as a shield for
the protection of current political ap
pointees." .
But while "there is a wide room for
improvement In the service" the Cham
be rsburg (Pa) Public Opinion (Ind.
Rep.) holds that "it will. not be good
business if the postal service is regarded
as a political plum tree." The Canton
(Ohio) News (Dem.) agrees that "the
Sooner the business of the government
ceases to be a source of reward for poli
ticians and their friends the better.
Postof f ice "patrons," - the 'Harrisburg
Patriot (Ind. Dem.) thinks, will wonder
"why politics should have anything to
do with the selection of a man to handle
such a nop-partisan business - as the
collection and delivery of the mail."
The whole country "ought to protest"
against a proposal which, in the opinion
of the Indianapolis News (Ind.), "Is a
proposal to abolish efficiency and make
political pull the basis for appointments."
Replying directly to the News, the
Fort Wayne News and Sentinel (Rep.)
exclaims : " 'Efficiency 1 Good Heavens !
Is the sort Of postal service this country
has been suffering under for the past
eight years now to be labeled 'efficient'?
If it is, then for goodness sake let us
have inefficiency, and have it in large
doses." . -
a '
In the regularly recurring shifting of
postmastershlps "for the good of the
service," the Seattle Union Record
(Labor) thinks there are few "so un
sophisticated as to take them at their
face value." because .' "Everyone who
knows anything at all about politics
knows that all of this for the good of
the service' bunk Is Just a little pleas
antry indulged in by shifty politicians to
Justify an otherwise unjustifiable act.
Changes In administrative offices are
not predicated on the theory of im
proving the service." . -
While the Providence Tribune (Ind.
Rep.) thinks the discussion Is merely
"the wish fathering the thought" and
expresses no fear that the suggested
change will be made, the Boston Post
(Ind. Dem.) feels that there Is evidently
"no hope as yet for any. lasting method
of keeping party struggles out of the
postoffices. Some congress will do the
Job thoroughly some day, but very mani
festly not the incoming one." ?
Curious Bits of Information
Gleaned From Curious Places
Louis XIII, king of France, "used to
complain that he never in his life tasted
hot soup, although he had a kitchen con
sisting of 32 rooms, with 600 windows.
There was a reason. - When the king
dined any - person ia respectable clothes
was admitted to the sight, and accord
ingly a dinner was a sort of show. Louis
sat In silence alone or with the queen
at the great table. The procession of
dishes having left the great kitchen some
distance - away. It crossed the road,
mounted the huge staircase, filed through
several long rooms and finally emerged
into the presence, preceded and flanked
by guafrds. Everyone who met the din
ner ea route was required to bow in
salute. Arrived at the king's table, the
maitre d'hotel approached, bowed to . the
royal couvert and presented the napkin
Then each dish was brought forward and
tasted by its bearer as a .precaution
against poison, and set before the king.
Whenever the king wished to drink a
servant would call loudly for the wine.
The wine was brought and tasted by two
persons, then given to the king, and
while he drank a glass saucer was held
beneath the goblet, lest his majesty spill
wine upon his person. -
Letters From the People
. r .- ( WW. Jmnul for
publication in thia department abiould bw writUen
on only ona nam of tea paper; anowa tm.
800 word ia lenrth, and must be aianed by tba
writer, whose mail addreas is fail must accom
pany the eantribttUoa.
' AN OPEN LETTER
On Behalf of , Nod-Resident Owners
- Under Foster Road Improvement.
Corvallis, March 19. To the City
Commissioners of Portland. Hon. George
La. Baker, Mayor of Portland Gentle
men: As a nonresident owner of two
and a half lots in Lents I have been
following both sides of the discussion
as to the building of the drainage sewer,
and in opposing said project as not need
ed at this time by home owners or prop
erty owners within a mile of Lents X
voice the opinion of some 29 nonresident
owners of lots in that section of Port
land who new happen to reside in or
near Corvallis. There may be others In
this locality, whom X know nothing
about. - r o
A number of residents of Corvallis
and the Willamette valley who hope at
some time to reside in Portland have
been induced, at different times, to buy
home sites 'in the Mount Scott district.
One of the inducements, which X have
no doubt was honestly held out to us,
was that the " porous nature of the
ground of this district would obviate the
necessity, for' years to come at least, of
the building of expensive - trunk - line
sewers to - the Willamette river, some
seven miles or so away. I still believe
that there is no necessity for a trunk
line sewer nor for a first unit of said
trunk line, which Is now proposed by the
city engineer's office. Anyway, your en
gineer's office is beginning to plan, and
to build the sewer from the wrong end,
from the top. to the bottom. Why" not
begin at the bottom and build to the
top. If the time comes that such a sewer
is necessary. .- ; ' .. ,
In the postcard vote which now is be
ing taken it is announced that the non
resident property owners will not be con
sulted. If you go ahead and out this
thing over on the nonresident property
owners you forfeit our confidence for
ever and no one from Portland need
ever come into the Willamette valley
and try to sell Portlaud realty or se
curities of any kind.
- Portland now enlists in its popula
tion over 4000 retired farmers, too -old
to work, who invested Just as we have
invested and finally built homes. : The
income from the rent of their farms en
ables them to live in the city and enjoy.
in their old age, its advantages. Thous
ands more have the same thing in view
ana nave nougni ana are buying prop
erty with the. same end in -view.
Is it your announced policy not to
consult this call of nonresident but
prospective home owners? The course
which now threatens looks that way.
, ! Walter L Woods.
PORT AND DOCK COMMISSION i
Portland, March 23. To the Editor of
The Journal Please Inform me as to
the personnel of the combined port and
dock commission and when the combine
will be effected. R. D. PowelL
Te mener will not ba completed until the
dock cwmmfewioa coneenta to it. This ia ac
cording to the merger ordinance voted by the
people of Portland. Mo date baa bees placed
upon the mercer of the two bodies aa yet. The
personnel of the dock eommtaion ia as followi:
V. B. Moore, chairman: A. IL Avert".. John U.
Burcard. Char lea C Hindman, P. O. Knapp.
The members ot the port commission are:-Frank
M. Warren, J. IX Kenworthy, Gemee U. Kelly.
Phil Uetschan. Andrew IL Porter. Max Houser
and H. A. Sarcent. air. Houser will lea re the
port commission when the new members take
office. , The three new members, who will tak
ofTice'on way zt. are: h. U Corbett, T. J.
Meooney and W. U. Thompson.
DISAPPOINTMENT FOR
. . POLITICIANS ,
' 'From the Salem CanrtaJ Journal. -
There will be weeping and wailing
and gnashing of teeth among the hungry
faithful if Postmaster General Will H.
Hays carries out his promise of main
taining the civil service status of pro
motions in the appointment of postmas
ters inaugurated by President Wilson
and filling vacancies by examinations.
Such procedure will shatter the hopes of
scores in every city and town expecting
sinecures as the result of political affili
ations. .
In the lower posts of the service the
merit rule has long obtained, and since
President Wilson's executive order, is
sued in 191? applying the merit test to
presidential postmasters, appointments
have gone to the candidates ranking
highest as the result of examinations.
Even in. such large offices as Boston and
Portland, Republicans were appointed
postmasters because they were first on
the list of eligibles.
In response to charges that former
Postmaster General Burleson had set
aside the merit system for political rea
sons and demoralized the postal service.
the house called upon him to report the
number or vacant postmasterships and
the status of certified. Mr. Burleson
obtained, the required Information for
congress by asking the appointees to
state their politics. Of 2013 postmasters
replying, 1012 were-Democrats. 807 Re
publicans, 82 independents, 10 Prohlbl
tionists, while 139 had no political af
tIllations, in the North the Republicans
led with 846 appointments and in the
South the Democrats with 98, about
the relative strength of the parties.
The showing by Burleson proving that
the merit system controls appointments,
has gone far to arousing sufficient senti
ment against restoring the postoffices to
the spoils system. That the system will
be continued speaks well for the admin
istration. ' Of course, many of the -incumbents
who secured appointment upon
political grounds and who cannot qual
ify under the merit rules, will be re
moved, but their - successors, it seems
probable, , will have to undergo exami
nations that will eliminate the ordinary
office seeker.
It is probable that congress favors the
civil service system as relieving Its
members of the pressure of office seek
ers who make life a burden. For every
appointment there are scores of appli
cants, or as one Oregon senator once
remarked ; as a result of bitter experi
ence, every appointment made him 60
enemies and one Ingrate. t x
Uncle Jeff Snow Says
Now's the time when the Idle land
speculator's git tin' ia his work a-raisin'
ground squirrels fer profit. Ever she
ground squirrel gits her a - family of
eight in April, and they live rent free
and tax free the rest of the year on the
farmer. The land spectator has him a
big track of bresh and timber and weeds
and pests, and he pays less taxes n a
hard-workln farmer usln' less land
alongside. It pays the spee'lator to
raise pests better'n anything else. The
farmer lives In Oregon and buys pizen -to
kill the pests with and the spectator,
mebbe, lives way off, somewhere a, the
Lord knows - where. and raises pests,
weed seeds and prices as fast as the
farmer shows what can be done, with
Oregon climate and Oregon land.
PUZZLED THE EXPERT
From the Detroit F-ree-pTese
"What did the eff iciency; expert have
to say? ,. :
"He can't Understand It." 5
"Understand whatri-
"How we've made a success of this
business. He says his Investigations
convince him that by the methods we
have employed here we should , have
failed 10 years ago."
COMMENT AND
SMALL CHANGE t
The chest shall be filled.
To his recatlers' ha Is Governor Hart-
less of Washington.
-.. -"Whiskev.
Man-v a trstawdv la wrrlt-
ten ia the simple looking word. .
Chattv housewives should nrave an ef
fective antidote for talkative burglars.
Assassin " shoots at Italian premier.
Somebody's trying to start another war.
" Probably It Is tust aa : well for the
criminal that the public is not the Judge
ol guur.
. . a -
.... . aj a.a u. aiatw.
In business is to prune the costs . of
doing it. ,
Adjustment of wages upward and liv
ing costs downward would suit us fine
about now, . -.. .
Ye gods! If the rainfall has been be
low normal lets get back to normalcy
quickly and get it over with. -
"Rosy future seen by San Francisco.
Apparently the Bay- City Is again trying
to butt in on Portland's game.
' Let's devise some system to charge
the telephone company for the countless
valuable hours we waste getting the
wrong number. : z . :
MORE OR LESS PERSONAL
Random Observations About Town
- Bend citizens visiting in Portland In
clude Lee A. Thomas. Jessie Burton, Mr.
and Mrs. L. B. Baird and daughter Mar
jorie. W. E. Davidson, Charles Patter
son and Mrs. D. R. Morris, who Is -visiting
her mother, Mrs. S. A. Goodman.
E. Cook Patton. pioneer resident of
Salem, where for many, years he has
been in the book business with a side
line of foreign postage stamps : and
sleight-of-hand work, is a guest at the
Hotel Cornelius.
.
Henry B. Purl, front the metropolis of
Southern Oregon, Is a guest at the Hotel
Seward and reports business conditions
good in Medford.
Edith M. Sprote of Hood River, Is a
guest at the Cornelius.
. a a ..
E. C. Robbins of Eugene is a guest at
the Hotel Seward.
Mrs.. Charles Kirk of Albany Is regis
tered at the Hotel Seward.
. a , a .
Mrs. H. N". Anderson and . Rose, her
daughter, are in Portland from Condon,
.... . . - a a - ,
G. D. Handley of Tillamook Is a guest
at the Hotel Oregon.
. - e a' .
Walter Bartholomew of Pendleton is
at the Oregon. ..- . . -
...... a a a -
W. O. Fisher and S. B. Powers, from
the Capital City, are guests at the Oregon.
. ............... a , a a .
' W. E. TaJIant. canneryman of Astoria,
Is at the Portland.
a '
Frank McTaggart, Eugene merchant.
Is transacting business In Portland.
OBSERVATIONS AND IMPRESSIONS"
OF THE JOURNAL MAN 4
By Fred
f ui..Hn with tUacinamished (rltisena who are
geeata at Portland hotel. Mr. Loo ley eoUeeta
teeny Sood stories and other matters of interest.
a collection oi iucu wwicst wa .
. . . .....
ior in oaj.j :
George E. Shields of Long Creek is a
Portland visitor.. "Speaking of Long
Creek, said PhU Metschan, proprietor
ot the Imperial hotel, "I had two rather
odd experiences in relation to this small
place. Long Creek, as you . know, ia
on the stage road between Pilot Rock
and Mitchell. ' It is Just south of Uklah,
in the Camas Prairie country. When
X was at college in California I started
out one night on my bicycle for a long
ride. The evening was warm and when
X struck a wayside Inn I took a glass
Of beei- or two. Either I was absent
minded or I may have taken more than
two glasses of beer, X don't know which ;
but in any event, when I came out,
instead of starting on the road toward
the college X beaded in the opposite
direction. X pedaled steadily for a couple
of hours without seeing any familiar
landmarks. I thought 1 was hoodooed
or bewitched. Finally I hailed a farmer
who was driving in the opposite direction
to get to market in the early morning,
and asked him if I was on the right
road. He told me If I kept going in
that direction I would have to travel
clear around the world to get to where
I was going. I was about all In. so
I asked him If I could put my bicycle
Into his wagon and ride with him. He
said, 'Pile in ; my team is not very swift.
but they will get us there.' We began
to talk, and X asked him where he was
from. He said, 'Long Creek,' Oregon.'
X told him my father had run the butcher
shop at Canyon City. We round we naa
many mutual acquaintances in Eastern
Oregon. -
"Recently X made a trip to Mexico,
As I stepped off the boat at one of
the small ports a man stepped ' rorwara
and shook hands with me and called
me by some other name than my own.
He apologised for his mistake and we
began to talk. I asked him where his
homo was, and . he said, 'Pretty much
wherever I hang, my hat, but the place
I come from is Long Creek, Oregon.
When you remember that the entire
population of Grant county Is less than
half that of Salem, and that Long Creek
has a population of about 160 people,
it seems strange, that In two such remote
places I should run across former resi
dents of Long . Creek."
. Captain Lowell H. Smith and Lieu
tenant E. C. Kiel of the Ninety-first
squadron, air service, are at the Hotel
Multnomah. "It took us five end a
half hours, flying time, from Mather
Field to come to Portland," said Captain
Smith. ' "Weather conditions were bad.
We had to fly low. We ran into cold
rain near Dunsmulr and Sisaon. We
found plenty Of enow; in fact, the air
was thick with heavy flakes falling on
Mount Shasta and the hills thereabouts.
We also ran Into rough weather between
Sisson and Ashland in crossing the Sis
kiyousaaf We are On our way to the
Olympics to map and photograph the
devastated forest area there. -The heavy
gale that struck that country some
weeks ago resulted lo. the blowing down
of about 1.000,000.000 feet ot timber. If
we have good weather conditions we
shall be able to survey the entire area
and take photographs of it within 10
days. Then the government wilt have
accurate figures instead of a mere esti
mate. We have three airships with us
and our crew Includes three pilots, two
mechanics and a photographer."
.... ;....-; e : e : . --'-.
George Putman. formerly a member
of the . editorial staff of , The Oregon
Journal, later owner of the Medford Mali
Tribune and at present publisher of the
Salem Capital Journal, is in the metrop
olis to attend a meeting of , the news
paper publishers of the a tale. "We are
here," said Mr. Putman. "to discuss the
purchase of paper for the various papers
in our organization. Carl Abrams, man
ager ot the Homestead, and Lee Drake,
manager of the Astoria Budget, are here
and we are expecting other members
NEWS IN BRIEF
SIDELIGHTS
It must be a poor brand of American
ism that cannot function without the
hyphen. Roseburg News-Review.
Henry Ford says "things are looking
better.' Somebody has given Henry a
ride In a regular car. Medford Mail
Tribune.. No, society In general isn't going to
the dogs at all. The criminal receives
a neap more puoucity man roe ngnieoua
man. Albany Democrat,
. . -
' Some of our soldier boys are still In
Germany, i They're being - kept there to
receive the mall sent them during the
war. Klamath Falls Herald.
a a a ...
Since It Is about to be established that
leprosy Is a punishment for profanity,
will some learned scientist inform na
what causes smallpox? La Grande Ob
server. ....
The census bureau announces that the
United States has Zi persons to every
Miliar mile, but refuses to risk a guess
that there are 5 square persons to the
mile. Eugene tteguuer.
Greek - letter . societies have been
suspended in the Portland schools. . They
should never have been started. High
choor efforts to ape the colleges are
both silly and detrimental to good ef
forts in scnoiarsnip. orvauis uaietie
Tbneaj ,
On Thursday, Mitch 24, Phil Metschan
was accepting the congratulations of his
friends on the forty-fifth anniversary of
his birthday. '.-
e . e e
Salem guests at the Cornelius include
E. P. Dunwtddle, Mr. and Mrs. E. C.
Gregory, Helen C Campbell and Mra M.
Breen. -
" E. E. Woodcock, whose business is
sleuthing and sherlfflng at Lakeview, is
in Portland to tell what he. knows about
bootleggers.
- ' a a
Guests from the' Capital City at the
Multnomah include B. C Kelser. J; E.
Beach, Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Thompson,
Mr, and Mrs. K. 8. Hall and C 3. Smith.
. at e -
Guests from the Capital City at the
Hotel Seward Include Mrs. L. A. Daly.
Mra Charles A. Park, IL Kissane and
u. zaenker.
a ' a -. a
. Judge J. B. E. Bourne, resident of
Rainier for 30 years or more, is trans
acting business in the city and is regis
tered at the Seward.
a a a ' -
W. C. Bohle and Herbert H. Hansen
of Lebanon are registered at the Hotel
Seward. -
a - e . a
S. S. Hooper, hailing from Denver, the
sunshine capital of Colorado, Is registered
at the Oregon.
. - a ;... '-. .
Bend citizens visiting Portland Include
3: E. Albright. B. T. Boyce and Mr. and
Mrs. J. C Fettlbone. ' . .
' . " ' : . ' e . . a
E. Nordyke of Lexington, Morrow
county, is registered at the Cornelius.
Lockley
later this afternoon. We have come to
realise that team work and cooperation
Instead of cutthroat competition is the
secret or success as well as happiness
in me newspaper game."
"' - a. . a - a ;
Colonel. H.' E. Dosch Is a Portland
visitor. Every time he comes to town
he drOSS in tn vlsdt : hla VI..1
Harry B. Miller, former president of
me state noara of horUculture. "Mr.
Miller has been confined to his room
for the paet three years," said Colonel
Dosch. . "We were old friends and fellow-workers,
and I like to take out a
lily or some plant as a reminder of the
oic oaya He lives at Twenty-first. and
ii razee streets. I wish more of his old
Ume friends would call on him. Mv son
Arno is back in Berlin. He was sched
uled to go to India to write up the
unrest there, but they switched him to
Berlin. During the r past - five years
Arno- nas certainly seen a good deal
of the world. As a matter of fact. I
myself have had many experiences that
are pleasant that I like to think about
I shall be 80 years old within the next
two months, and since X have been ' 16
I have been paddling my own canoe,
In the early part of the Civil war I
was in General John C . Fremont's body
guard. Later X became colonel ot the
Fifth Missouri cavalry. ' When I was a
youngster I was one of the Wells-Fargo
pony express riders, riding from Vir
ginia City to Flacerville. Most of my
life I have been interested In promot
ing fruitgrowing here in Oregon." ;v . .
.. e e e . .
J. T, Hinkle of Hermiston is at, the
Imperial. If Mr. Hinkle is not the
father of Irrigation In Eastern Oregon,
at least be is its godfather, for the
Hinkle ditch was one of the early proj
ects of Umatilla county. He has seen
the town of Hermiston change from a
dry and barren sagebrush waste,, popu
lated by jackrabblts, horned toads and
coyotes, to a modern and ; prosperous
city, the center of a rich -alfalfa and
fruit district.- Where the , palpitating
heat waves once rose from ute sandy
desert the blossoming alfalfa now waves
before the afternoon breeze Land that
was dear in those daya at CO cents an
acre cannot now be purchased for sev
eral hundred dollars an acre.
. e . e . s ' .
If within the next few 'days you eat
a particularly tender lamb chop, you
can make up your mind that it came
from the carload of fat Iambs brought
down from the Eastern 'Oregon exper
iment station at Union by Robert W.
Withy combe. These lambs were raised
under special testing conditions, and
careful records were kept of the amount
of feed used and weight gained. Robert
Withycombe, son of Dr. James Withy
combe, former governor of Oregon, has
been with' the Union experiment station
12 or, IS yeara
.............. a a -
Frank R. Kerr of Wadhams Kerr
Bros, reports excellent success in the
raising of the Albert Grilley memorial
fund. Efforts are being made lo raise
a fund of 25000 to serve as a student
loan fund. Albert Grilley gave bis life
to the service of others, and it is felt
that no monument to him could be more
fitting than a fund of this kind from
members of the Various fraternal and
civic organizaUons of the city.
w m w m -
"I believe the railroads of the North
west will arbitrarily reduce their rail
rates on lumber so that the producers
in this section of the United States may
compete In neutraf territory with the
Southern pine men." said N. P. David
son, lumber operator on Puget Sound,
registered at the Multnomah from Ta-
coma. "A great part of the" past freight
business was lumber shipments, : and
that revenue Is now almost nIL The
railroads wish to bolster - up lumber
hauling, and to do so rates must come
down. Usually at this time of year
much piling and dimension stuff Is
being shipped, but I know of no busi
ness in that line now. A lot of lumber
Is being sold now for 25 per cent less
than It cost to produce. However,
building activities are opening up and
lumbermen feel that their business will
slowly come to the fore."
,The Oregon Country
Northwest Uappenlnoa lr, Uriel Form for the
Busy Beadct
OREGON NOTES
Silverton's cltv council has aonrom-l-
ated for the purchase of a fire -
truck.
fineflr. Mnaol.v 1" t,rn nnn, anil
probably the oldettt nun in Lane county.
l ucau ait cugene, atgea vs.
On Monday. March 21. the noKtoffice
was reettahlinhl at Alberson. Hartley
county, with Glenn Oliver as postmaster.
Dr. II. N. Aldrich. nas tor of the Leall
Methodist church, has been chosen treil-
nent of the taalern, Ministerial associa
tion.
Thomas Thomnson has announced his
candidacy for postmaster of Pendleton
ana nas askea tne indorsement of the
Oregon congressional delegation. -
Oscar McCollum. owner of the Dun ton
apartments in Monmouth, died suddenly
last Thursday. McCollum was formerly
a resident or Portland.
Five hundred Carolina nonlar trees
have been received by the Linn county
fair board and will be planted at once
around the fair grounds. -
A trail has lust been eomnleted hv
forest service men from the Indian
creek valley to the Ten Mile crwk coun
try in the 8iuslaw national forest.
The Willamette Valley Ilorirrowers
association has been organised at Hit-
verton to pool the balance or tho l30
hop crop and to prepare for future
crops.
A camnilm f.-.e 1IM tnna tt atrtner
beann has been completed by the Salem
iv ing s .rroaucts company, and the com
pany now has begun a campaign for
spinach.
In an effort tn atrens-thon V Vnr
York prune market, the Oregon CI row
ers' Cooperative association recently
wttnarew au quotations ou prunes in
that city.-
Paul V1nzett ' 7b. who had followed
the trade of cobbler at The Dalles for
20 years, died suddenly a few. nights
ago, his body being found next morning
in the rear of his shop.
Through the failure of the city to
answer four different suits filed in the
circuit court the past year, many street
ana sewer assessments in Astoria axe
said to have been rendered void.
The Dublin service commission tiasi nr.
dered the Molalla Electric company to
resume its street lighting service m
Canby pending investigation into the
controversy between the city and the
utility.
WASHINGTON
The hattleshln Idaho and Mlsjitiadrrnl
have arrived at the Puget Sound navy
yard after a leisurely trip up from Kan
Pedro, CaL
Actual work of circulating net I tie m for
the recall of Governor Hart because he
refused to veto the noil tax bill will be
begun within a few days.
Preparations are being made at Camp,
Lewis to try out three airplanes of a
new type. The planes will carrv ma
chine guns and light rifles.
The Flynn Lumber company has re
sumed operations at its mill at Mineral
In Eastern Lewis county. The plant bad
been closed since December.
Crashing Into Ihe rear end of a truck
near Tuickwilla Monday night a crowded
Tacoma stage was hurled 1& feet across
the highway, injuring 10, but none fa
tally, - ....
- The signal corps cut-up plant at Van
couver, where thousands of soldiers were
engaged during the war In getting out
the spruce for airplanes, Is being torn
down.
The Rev. R. P. Btuhbs, aped 9T, made
the trip from Tacoma to Vancouver a
few daya ago for the purpose of hnntlx
Ing his great-grandson, Robert William
Stubbs.
Northern Pacific workmen burning
brush near Walla Walla heard bottles
popping and saved -two of 2-iO bottles of
whiskey which bootleggers bad cached
along the railroad. -
Iflom White, 20-year-old Everelt youth.
sentenced to be hanged for killing Lee
Linton, for hire car driver. In Novomber,
1919, has been denied a rehearing by the
state supreme court.
A charge of manslaughter has been
placed against P. C. Hedrlle. driver of an
automobile which collided with a street
car at Spokane, killing one woman and
fatally injuring a man.
Following an attempt et suicide Mon
day by Inhaling gut, O. W. Rasmussen.
35, went to a shooting gallery at Ta
coma Tuesday where he blew out his
brains with a .22 calibre revolver.
Governor Hart has issued a reqnUdtlon
upon the governor of California for re
turn to Tacoma of Jafet Llndeberg.
wanted In connection with the failure of
the Scandinavian-American bank, of
which he was a director.
.., ' IDAHO
Governor Davis has issued a procla
mation calling upon the people of Idaho
to observe "Western Consumers' Week."
April 11 to 18.
After beieng closed for six months, the
Natatorlum, Boiae's natural hot water
plunge, was opened to the public iat
Saturday.
A carload of seed potatoes has ar
rived at Pocatello and will be distrib
uted to the boys' and girls' .clubs of
Bannock county.
State Senator E. W. Whltcomb ot
Salmon, who has tendered the Judgeship
of the Sixth Judicial district, has de
clined the honor.
For alleged false statements regarding
his dairy, Wllllsm Cleveland haa Insti
tuted suit ror siu.ou damages against
the city of Twin Falls.
Fifteen women met at Nam Da this
week and perfected a preliminary or
ganization of a chapter of the Daughter
of the American Revolution,
Total receipts of the department of
public welfare for the last biennlum
were $18,749.08, chiefly from fines for
violation of health and sanitation laws.
Charging misconduct in office, the tax
payers' league of Twin Falls ceunty Jih.j
ffled ouster proceedings in district court
against the commissioners of the Twin
vans nignway district.
icnow youi
PORTLAND
The Oregon Civic league Is a forum
for the Impartial hearing of both
sides of issues which are municipal,
statewide and national in scope.
The purpose of the league is to
arouse the Indifferent citizen to
active Interest and to inform the busy
citizen that each may assume effect
ively his or her share of the com
munity burden. The league has been
a factor since its organization in
September, 1913, in the solving of
community problems and in the de
velopment of a civic consciousness.
Consequently nearly every subject,
from a state reconstruction conven
tion tOTmotion picture censorship, has
been the subject of the league's pro
grams or activities.
The thrice elected president of the
Oregon Civic league is A. C. New-Ill.
lie Is also a member of the school
board. Miss Grace Amos is the sec
retary, Robert I Yoke Is the treas
urer and F. J. B. Nicholson the audi
tor. The directors in addition to the of
ficers, are Mrs. C. B. Cady, M. 11.
Calef and Miss Henrietta Failing.
The members of the executive board
are: ' Mrs. N. G. Anderson, K. A.
Brown. Mrs. O. L. Bui and, C. B.
Cady. Norman F. Coleman, Mrs. E. B.
Colwelt, Mrs. W. A. Eliot. Mlas Elsa
Orelle, J. Hunt Jlendrlckson, Miss
Ieona Larrabee, R. W. Montague,
Mrs. A. C. Newill. Mrs. A. W. Nich
olson, .H. E. Plum me r, Mrs. Donald
Spencer and John H. Stevenson.
The meetings of the Oregon Civic
league are held each Saturday noon,
except during the summer vacation
season, in the crystal room of the
Benson hotel. " -
r