Image provided by: Central Point School District #6; Central Point, OR
About Gold Hill news. (Gold Hill, Jackson County, Or.) 1897-19?? | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 1932)
THE GOLD HILL NEWS, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1932 Paße 2 OREGON STATE NEWS OF 6ENERAUNTEREST We A re at War! By GENERAL JOHN J. PERSHING Artici« II ULLED into complacency by prospeiity, our citizens pas- * aively accepted this poisonous growth with small concern. ? Now that our complacency is gone, we begin to study this foul phenomenon more carefully. W e see it eating more and more deeply into our national life, infecting politics, extorting tribute from business, threatening our very homes. From my own study as an individual, I am convinced that prohibition has largely financed this new postwar underworld of ours. Vast profits have drawn multitudes into the bootlegging business, and, once out side the pale of the law, they do not hesitate to turn to racketeering and other forms of crime. Thus a criminal army has been built up which defies the very government itself. I do not question the sincerity of the prohibitionists, nor their nobility of purpose. Yet the inability to enforce the law in this respect has resulted in such tragic consequences that I believe the time has come to face this question squarely and to work together toward some other solution which takes more account of the inevi table traits of human nature. But neither the repeal nor the modification of the prohibition laws will altogether abolish crime. The estimated one million or more men, accustomed to the easy money of the bootleg and speak easy business and with an utter contempt for law, cannot be thus converted into virtuous, law-abiding citizens overnight. Many will turn to other forms of illegitimate ______________________________ activity. Corrupt officials, de card or disregarding regulations con prived of bootleg tribute, will cerning It should be heavy. I realize that the Inconvenience of seek new sources of graft Our frontier ancestors, when the card Identification system would burdensome. But It would be con the criminal element got out of be siderably less burdensome than the control, formed themselves into breakdown of our system for appre vigilance committees, rounded hending criminals. The cards would up criminals, and strung them up not be a cure-all, but they would be a on the nearest tree. Every red- great help. No honest mao could ob to a plan which would materially blooded man, when he reads of the ject aid In rounding up criminals criminal activities of our modern Just as the depression has finally racketeers and of their apparent opened our eyes to the magnitude of immunity from capture and pros our crime problem, so has It brought ecution, feels a natural impulse to home to ns the very extravagant ac go out and organize a vigilance tivities of unwise politicians during our prosperity orgy. While the citi committee. But action can be tak zens have neglected their public du en, under the law, only through ties, the politicians have quietly >ut the constituted authorities. Any enormously Increased the cost of gov other course would lead to abuses ernment, locally and nationally. Ex greater than those it might cor penditures of the national government In 1013 were approximately *700,000,- rect. 000, exclusively of Interest payments L The ability of the underworld to ter rorize society lies In the fact that It la thoroughly organized, while society Is not At present It la more the fan« against the Individual than otherwise. Why should we not form neighbor hood and community committees, so that the gang will find itself con fronted with an organized body of men larger and stronger than Itself? The more Important his position In the community, the greater the obligation of the citizen to Join the committee. Can Force Action. Such committees, made up of sub stantial citizens, who regard citizen ship as a paramount obligation, could force action. Suppose a neighbor of yours gets a kidnaping threat, or a merchant Is visited by a gangster who tries to extort tribute from him, or a section of the town experiences a series of holdups I f the Individual citizen goes to the police station or city hall and falls to get satisfaction possibly because of an alliance be tween officials and the underworld he is powerless But If the neighborhood committee stands ready, at the very first threat of gangster activity within Its bor ders. to take common action against the Invasion, the picture changes The threatened man Immediately summons all his trusted friends who advise with the neighborhood committee. Repre senting the militant citizenship of Its community. It could demand positive action by the police and by the city authorities Committees of this kind would be vigilance committees not In the old sense, but In the sense that they would be ever vigilant In the protection of rights and the performance of civic duties I would consider It an honor to serve on such a committee myself. These committees would serve many other purposes beyond the suppression of racketeering. They would present a united front against the grafting of officials They could hold weekly or monthly meetings to discuss the prob lems of government Ruch meetings would serve to bring out and develop, as no Institution we now possess does, new leaders, especially among the young citizens, in every community. One great aid to crime In America Is the veil of anonymity which covers the Individual. In any army, every man Is accounted for. Ills name. rank, regiment, and whereabouts are known. I f he Is wanted, we know where to find him. In America we have no Identification. Men can move from city to city, changing their names as they would their coats. They can reg Ister as they please nt any hotel, with no questions asked. It Is a pleasant easy-going custom, hut it puts an In stiperahle barrier In the way of the police In the detection of crime. The time has come when we must abandon the right to anonymity, ns enlightened European countries have done. Every resident of our country should have an Identification card, a small passport with photograph attached Change o f |>ermanent residence should be reported to the police. The card should be shown. If necessnry. upon registration at any hotel, or on an? other occasion when demanded by the police. The penalties for forging s on the public debt. In 1031 they had Increased to approximately »2,000,000,- 000, exclusive of Interest payments on the public debt and expenses Incident to the World war. The cost of ad ministration of local governments throughout the country Increased from *1.844.000.000 In 1913 to »7,126.000,000 In 1929. The budget of one of our cities. New York, for 1932, Is greater than the expenditures of the entire national government for 1903. Some of these Increases, unquestionably, have been necessary for expansion and for coping with the more complex problems of today. But an alarming portion of them have been with an eye to Jobs for the politicians' frlenda Unnecessary offices, boards, commis sions, have been profligately multi plied. And now, when our national rev enues shrink, there Is little done toward applying the logical remedy of reducing expenses. Instead, legisla tors resort to the vicious policy of In creasing taxes, both direct and Indi rect Thus the citizen finds himself burdened with the staggering load. But can he, with clear conscience, complain? He cannot. He elected these legislators, he saw them pile up lavish appropriations, and he elected them again. During the boom days the citizen was too busy In specula tion himself to worry about the na tional debt or the local debt So with municipal affairs. During prosperity the citizens cheerfully looked on while the politicians multi plied unnecessary offices, gave ex travagant contracts to their friends for public Improvements, passed laws favoring special Interests, and loaded the public with Invisible taxes in the form of graft. Now many of our great cities are threatened with In solvency. Their depreciating securi ties Imperil the solvency of banks where the citizen has his money. The citizen again discovers that he Is the victim. But Is he not the victim of his own neglect of the plainest duties of citizenship? In the situation that now confronts him, the citizen Is groping. What can he do now? What practical action can be take? He Is told to go to the polls and cast his vote, which Is an old story to him, but by Itself It will not remedy the situation, for too often the candl dates of each party are Incompetent or corrupt. There Is a great deal more to polit ical duty than going to the polls to vote. A body of uninformed citizens flocking to the polls, prompted only by good Intentions Is about as effec tive as an army made up of untrained men marching to battle. Year after year, under universal suffrage, there has grown a wider dl vergence between theory and practice In our political economy. To perform his civic duties effec lively It Is no longer enough for the citizen to understand the theory of politics. He must study Its practice That means time, trouble and hard work He must study the political forces at work In his own neighborhood, his own ward his own district. He must go to political meetings, associate with politicians, find out who are the pollt leal leaders behind the scenes, drop In McCully Mountain school district, Bear Lyons, Linn county, will main tain a school this year although there ere only (wo pupils. This number will be Increased when the teacher arrives. She has (our children. Principal Events of the Week Assembled for Information of Our Readers. High school bus lines In to the Orants Paas high school will be operat ed this year until th* Christmas holi day* by the school district After that date the operation will ba by sonlract direct with tha parents. T H U M A R K 1T 1 Portland Wheat — Big Bend bluestem. herd wheat. 89c; soft whits and wsstsra white, 64e; hard winter, northers aprtng and western red, 63c. Hay—Buying price*, f. o. b. Port land; Alfalfa, Yakima, *11.110. B u t t e r f a t 18© 17c. Egga— Ranch, 1 1 0 22c. Cattle— Steore, good, *4 60 0 6.00. Hogs—Good to choice, *104.86. Lambs—Quod to choice, *404.60. Seattle Wheat — Soft w hit* and western white, CSlic; hard winter, western red and northern spring, 63%c; hluestcm, 80c, Butterfat—19c. Eggs—Ranch, 23c. Hogs—Good to choice, *4 5005. Cattle—Choice steers, »505.76. Sheep— Spring lambe, *3.6004.35. Spokane Cattle— Steers, good, 14.50 0 5.25. Hogs— Good to cholco, *4.3804.35. Lambs—Medium to good, *3.5003.75. C. A. Hunter, prominent cattla man and rancher ot Wallowa, received * vary painful Injury when a hay net fell, striking him In tha face and breaking hls chaek bona. Ha was taken to the Wallowa hospital. a Only 13 strawberries from the George Thompson ranch, southwest of Redmond, can ba put In a box. Thuy are the largest berries reported, but ot an unlucky alia. Borne of the berries are two Inches In circumference, Tho large barn and adjoining milk- house of M. V. Vites, about two mlh-a north of Croswell, burned to tha ground with a loss between *6000 and *6000. Loss Included 180 tons ot hay. Mr. Vlles Is a dairyman with a herd of 70 milking cowa, which wore saved. Prohibition tinea and forfeitures col lected In Lane county since 1923 total *107,293. The receipts have shown a steady decline since 1936, which was tho peak year. Thia decline Is attri buted to a tendency ot violators to eorvo Jail sontencss rather than pay fines. A walnut treo 100 feet tall. 35 years Growers on Rauvles Island have pro old, pride of the Thomas Wlthycombe posed to the Astoria Chamber of Com orchard at Silver Kills, near Gaston, merce to exchange peaches (or sal w ill boar 400 pounds ot walnuts this mon. year, It was estimated. The tree stands Two or more men robbed the Mau apart from the rest of the orchard and pin postotflce ot *75 In cash. The rear Is Impressive by reasou of Its enor door of the poetofflce wae forced and mous stse. money taken from tha cash box. Prune growers of Douglas county are being contacted by the Cltlsens Co- Operative association and are asked to permit the unemployed members of the organization to harvest the crop on shares or on any fair basis. Many The West Scio station of the South growers are not expecting to pick, on ern Pacific railroad waa closed 8ep- j tember 1st. C. W. Bragg has been account of the low price. Jefferson county farmers declared agent at that place for more than 15 that the Jefferson county rodeo w ill years. Gordon Moe,'8. son of Mr. and Mrs. accept wheat for admission. Many M. O. Moo ot Eugene, was fatally In wheat farmers have moro wheat than One jured whon he was crushod between money Just at harvest time. a motor truck and the woodshed al farmer said 30 years ago wheat wae used In the place of money at the hla home. grocery etoree In Prineville. Agricultural leader* ot Lane county Frank Krop, living near Harrisburg, have Indorsed tho campaign for a greater use of homo products that Is I* demonstrating that Irrigation in the being conducted by Lane County Po W illamette valley Is a success. On a 4H-acre tract of Irrigated land ha pas mona grange. tured 60 heed of eheep. 14 hogs, four The Hermiston Cooperative cannery horses and six cows from May 16 to has canned 36,000 quarts of vegetables, July 1. Bines July he has been grow fruits and meats to date and experts ing a seed crop of Ladlno clover. to can over 50,000 before the season Checks amounting to *30.403, repre ends, In October. senting a dividend ot 10 per cent on Tho Seaside Chamber of Commerce commercial and 30 per cant on savings w ill ask the state highway commission deposits, have been mailed to deposi to make Seaside the base of operations tors of the defunct Bank of South for construction work on the west and western Oregon, at Marshfield. Thus of the Wolf Creek road. far 40 per cent has been paid on com Japanese who have leased 30 acres mercial accounts and 60 per cant on of land near M yrtle Creek, Douglas savings. county, will stand on their legal rlghta Motorists with cars temporarily In and will farm the land despite objec storage will be able to secure their tions ot white residents. license pletee at the three-quarter 8teps ore being taken at Albany to yearly rate on end after Tuesday. Sep restrict Itinerant photographers by tember 31. Secretary of State Hors barring out those whose workmanship advised sheriffs and other peace of and materials are Inferior. A city ficers throughout the state that tbs re ordinance la being prepared. duced rate would become effective on The Clackamas county court has that data. adopted the policy of requiring pay E F. Brodie, rancher In the Norway ment In labor for relief supplies. The district, for many years a shingle saw delivery of supplies from house to yer In tho mills ot Coos county, has house will be discontinued. leased the Banders sawmill proper.y Fire destroyed the barn and two allot on the farm of Frank Hlnea, near North Howell. About 1400 buahels ot grain and farm machinery were lost. ’ » W T IIY should we not y y munity committees, form neighborhood and com- so that the gang will find it self confronted with an organized body of men larger and stronger than itself? . . . Suppose a neighbor of yours gets a kidnaping threat, or a merchant is visited by a gangster who tries to extort tribute from him, or a sec tion of the town experiences a series of holdups. If the in dividual citizen goes to the police station or city hall and fails to get satisfaction, he is powerless. But if the neigh borhood committee stands ready, at the very first threat of gangster activity within its borders, to take common action against the invasion, the picture changes. . . . Representing the militant citizenship of thia community, it could de mand positive action by the police and by the city author ities. “Committees of this kind would be vigilance commit tees, not in the old sense, bat in the sense that they would be ever vigilant in the protection of rights and the per formance of civic duties. “/ would consider it an honor to serve on tuch a com m ittee myself I” at the political clubs, look Into the records and alliances of candidates for office Even this Is not enough, unless there is some organization of non political citizens to work with unlte-1 force Here again the neighborhood committees which I suggested earlier would have their usee Such com mittees could conqtel the respect of the political leader and hold him to an accounting. They could bold meetings and ask candidates to appear before them, address them, and submit to questioning. Moreover, they could and should keep track of the political and financial administration of local and national affairs. It might be Inferred from what 1 say here that I think there are no good men In politics. On the con trary, we all know many fine men. honest men. able men In politics But there are not enough of them. One of our problems Is to attract men of higher caliber Into public life Certainly the profession of government Is as Important as any calling In our nation. Yet It Is not even taught In our schools and colleges. We teach political science, yes. but that Is a far cry from practical politics. There Is no alternative for the aspiring polltl clans but to learn their high art and profession at the knee of the district leader or ward captain— too often with undesirable results. Corporations for the conduct of busl ness education, and charity have mul tiplied In number and Importance In recent years. Service In hundreds of corporations Is affording a new dis clpllne for thousandt In managing and directing people, and this In turn should be of the highest value toward supporting progress and durability In governmental affairs. But business men too often forget that the govern nient Is the most Important corpora tlon of all. They passively permit men to occupy public offices to whom they would deny Jobs In their own com panics. They fall to apply on elec tlon day. the elementary rules they hnve learned In their business. No Tims for Shirking. Business men say that politics Is "unpleasant." Bn Is service In the trenches unpleasant, but our citizens do not shirk It when duty calls. t'a re I ess ness. neglect, and Ignorance In the conduct of the affairs of gov ernment have exactly the same results as they would have In any army facing the enemy on the field of battle. The obligations of the Individual citizen as a part of this government are quite as binding as those of each soldier coui|s>slng an army. Thorough training and a high sense of duty are as Im portant In one case as In the other The preparation of an army for serv Ice with any hope of success demands something more than writing out the details of organization and the Issu ance of orders. It requires the train lug of each Individual of the army In the particular pnrt he Is to play al the front. It Is the same In the sue cessful conduct of the government Each citizen must be trained In his duties and be Inspired by a high sense of obligation In carrying them out. Constitutions and laws do not ot themselves guarantee either the effi clency or the permanence of govern ment In a government by the people the responsibility of the Individual must be conscientiously fulfilled, or failure will be the result Make no mistake about It: Our na tlon Is confronted by a crisis as serl ous as the crisis of the war. We are at war against depression and crime And. Just as to that earlier crlsle, we cotne unprepared. Our unprepared ness In the war cost us untold billion* In money and the lives of some of out finest men. Our unpreparednesa fot this battle of peace has also cost na dear. But In the war, once we were aroused, we made effort which aston ished the world. Just so today the American citizen, once he Is aroused to the dangers that menace hla coun try, will, I devoutly hope and believe, gloriously redeem his Indifference ot the past. © . l i l t . R ail S v ndlcst«.— W N U S a rv tM . French Penal Code France does not send all person* who commit crimes to the French penal colony on the Isle de Saint, ofl the const of French Guiana. The typ* of prisoners sent Is that, generally speaking, of the undesirable habitual criminal whom the French governmenl does not who ! to return to France In sentencing the criminal to the col onles the type of criminal rnther than the type of crime committed I* stressed, such ns undesirable politics' prisoners, as well as vicious habitus criminals Fire of undetermined origin de stroyed the Inland Auto company building at Prineville recently. Loss was estimated between 112,000 and *15,000, with *6000 Insurance. The three-acre Eureka cornfield of Crla Naegli of Deer Island will aver age 20 to 26 tons of corn harvested for allage. The average height of the stalks ranges from 14 to 18 feet. The Rockaway beaches experienced the greatest throng of the season over the Labor Day week end with an esti mated 10,000 people on hand. Benches to tha south also reported largo crowds. Members of the Oregon Humane so ciety have protested to Governor Meier against the advertised "bull fight,” scheduled to be held nightly during the state fair, which opons In Salem late this month. and purchased the shingle mill from the same owner. The sawmill Is work ing on a large contract for tomato and peach boxes, and the shingle mill w ill be operated after these orders are (Hied. Many startling tales have been told by fisherman at Medford this season, but the prize yarn, which eclipses them all, Is true— usys Dick Isaacs and H. Pringle. The two Medford men fished the Iloguo tho first of last week, and tho latter hooked a polecat. Jnct as he wr.s casting the animal started acrocs the river. Tho hook caught In Its throat and Prlr.kle landed the cot. The animal waa killed wlih n polo, whon Isaacs camo to hls partner’s aid. The price war In Salem between cleaning and pressing establishments, which has resulted in a price of 26 cents for pressing pants, has extended to Oregon City. Salem pressers say reduced rates will continue In effect until some agreement Is reached with an Oregon City concern that Is solicit ing business In Salem. A total of 32 tons of peas hnve been shipped from Coquille from the Twny, Ford and Runs ranches to the Ray- Mating plant at Hillsboro, which com pany has contracted for the entire crop of the Coquille valley. The peak of the picking senson la expected to he reached thia weok. About 140 to 160 pickers havo been engaged ao far In harvesting tho crop. The price Is 85 cents a hundrod pounds, with a 10- cent bonus per 100 to those who stay for tho season. Dee Wright, packer of the forest service, reports four Inches of snow on the Skyline trail. An early snow, ha says, means a late fall. Another sign of a late fall Is that doer and elk are still remaining in the high moun tains. The walnut growers of Yamhill county are erecting a big sign on the highway at Rex H ill calling attention of motorists to the Importance of the vicinity as a walnut-growing center. The sign la to be 10 feet h'.^h by 24 feet long. Fire destroyed tho Casino danco- hall nt Reedsport last week. A beauty parlor and a building formerly occu pied by a garage was also destroyed. A dance hnd been given In the hr.ll tho ovenlng before the fire by the local firemen. In a pear-packing contest at Med ford. Frank McTaguo won first prize. He packed three boxos in 6 minutes and 25 seconds. Fuzz Summers was soo- ond In 5 minutes and 60 seconds. Loti James took third place In 6 minutes and 25 tt.ouds. A
