East Oregonian : E.O., September 07, 1908, EVENING EDITION, Page PAGE THREE, Image 3

Kunrr packs.
DAILY FAST ORKGOMAX, PKXDIiKTOX, OHKOOX, MOM.V, SEITKMHKIt 7, 1008.
PAGE TITO EE.
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DELVERS ADDRESS
PllEDATOHY LAM) IX.
TKUKSTS HIS TOI'IO
Scores the TmihMrtnllii MoiioMly
and Allen I.nnd Holder- Tho ICail
rudV Duty to tlio Public State
I'mhwhhcs a Remedy Spooch Do
livered at CorvulliH Saturday Xlyjit.
Corvalllfl, Sept. 6. Judgo Lowell of
FcndletOn, delivered an address to
day In a tented amphitheatre, crowd
ed with hundreds of people, at tho
AU-Uenlon county school fulr. HU
text, was "Oregon Problems," and the
thotne wus large landholdlugs and ex.
cesslvo railroad domination, which
were set forth as a menace to the
welfare of the state.
The Pendleton Jurist's speech made
a deep Impression on the adulence.
He said:
Oregon presents a unique situation
in civic economies, and problems con
front her people which do not find
parallel In any other part of the
union.
She Is not a new state. Another
year and shejjill usher In the second
half century of her statehood. She
possesses resources unsurpassed, and
. possibly not equaled among the sis
terhood of states, and yet In material
development she lugs In the rear
rank.
The reasons are not far to seek.
They are two alien and excessive
land holdings, and a selfish and nn
progressive transportation monopoly
In round numbers . 000,000 acres of
her area are held under the grants
of congress made In the decade from
1860 to 1870 to railroad and s t-eallcd
military wagon road companies, while
other vast tracts have been secured by
the great lumber and cattle compan
ies, and by railroad corporations
through the vicious lieu land act. It
Is probably a conservative statement
to say that at least 7,000,00 acres are
thus held within her boundaries. The
most of this vast area Is owned by
nonresident Individuals and corpor
ations, some of whom are old world
capitalists.
The policy of substantially all
seems to bo one or nonuser. Tiiey
will neither sell these lanVf to set
tlers nor develop them themselves.
These grnnts cross the state north,
no oilier tiling, not even tho burden
of royalty Itself, has equalled this as
a bar to the uplift of the race. Scot
lund, educationally speaking, is per
haps the most advanced country In
tho world. Her people are not only
Intelligent, but mentally keen, phy
sically robust and morallyi clean. The
Scottish raco has Impressed Itself
upon tlie commercial and religious
world In. a manner second only to the
Hebrew, and yet with all Its virility,
courage and persistency, It has never
been able to shake off the burden of
Innd monopoly Inherited from the
feudal ages and conquests of kings.
Today 171 persons own nearly 60 per
cent of Its area, and out of Its 5,000,.
000 population only about 132,000
own any land at all. The Laird of
Sklbo, Andrew Carnegie, some time of
New York and Pittsburg, possesses a
preserve about his castle approxi
mately 20 miles by eight miles In ex
tent. Scotland Is but a type of prev
alent conditions throughout the most
of the old world, and Thomas Car
lisle's grim prediction that America's
real social troubles will begin when
hpr public lands pass fo private own
crshlp was founded upon the sure
rock of racial experience.
This Is a government of the people.
We are the Moses and from out this
Red sea of retardation we must
emerge. In the ultimate analysis the
people nre usually right. Sometimes
they seem swayed by passion and
prejudice, but given time for consid
eration they have solved correctly the
great questions ' presented In the
period of our national life. It Is
time, therefore, that discussion ' of
remedies for existent evils Tiere was
begun. Ultra conservatism, the doc
trine of lalssez falre, always means
depression and ultimate decay. The
rare moves forward by Impulses, eith
er upon the blood waves of revolution
as with the Latins, or upon the
thought waves of agitation as with
tho Anglo Saxon.
In the hope of then arousing pub
lic Interest and popular discussion, I
offer tho following tentative remedies
for the unjust and fateful conditions
which oppress our people and re
tard the state's development. With
the adoption of direct legislation Ore
gon became a pure democracy, and
in the prerogative to make laws and
amend the cons'ltutlon may be found
the necessary weapons of self-preser
vatlon.
Tho railroads ore public sen-Ice
rornorations. they are creatures of
the state and owe to It a large duty.
Among their obligations may Justly
south, east and west, like trails of e regarded a requirement to utilize
poisonous serpents, and the result has' fare share of their profits as corn-
been n pajl -upon evlopment for ! v'i"n carriers within the state In such
40 years.
The Railroad Situation.
The railroad situation is almost as
Intolerable. One vast corporation di
rected from New York practically
dominates the transportation facili
ties of the commonwealth, and for
years Its profits within tho state have
been so enormous that the best data
obtainable by the railroad commis
sion Indicate an accumulated surplus
of $29,000,000, and yet, despite the
long continued appeals iof the people,
lines pre never extended in tempo-j
rary fear that some other company
Is about to enter this preserve.
The money thus earned Is spent In
railroad building elsewhere and the
result Is that much of the coast
counties and an Imperial expanse In
central ond southeastern Oregon, to
gether considerably greater In extent
than tho state of Pennsylvania, are
practically untouched by rails re
gions which, when once opened up by
adequate transportation facilities
will develop by leaps and bounds, un
til they can easily support fi.000,000
people.
It may be said that' the field of
construction Is open but such is not
the fact. The truth Is that the great
transportatln lines control tho money
markets of the enst, and. were a new
company to attempt construction In
this territory It would find the banks
closed against It and no sale for Its
bonds could be found. The west to
day Is seemingly as absolutely par
celed out among the transcontinental
railway magnates as was the old
world among the lords of feudal
ages. There Is occasional opparent
rivalry as It this time,-but It usually
ends In peao and another division of
domain.
This state of affairs cannot be per
mitted to continue and Its elimina
tion calls for tho serious considera
tion of every thinking man within
the confines of Oregon. Unless a
remedy Is found, another 50 years
will witness the vast natural resour
ces of this magnificent state cither
still undeveloped, or the objects of
exploitation by alien owners, and our
people will be crushed under the dou
ble curse of permanent landlordism
and railroad domination.
Old World's Struggle.
The people of the old world have
been struggling for centuries against
tho land system which early mon
archal Ideas fastened upon them, and
extension of their llnVs as may be
necessary to accommodate the people
and develop the commonwealth. The
common law Is th expression of tho
experience of KitRlish speaking peo
ple for a thousand years, and neces
sarily it reflects the changing con
ditions of the race. Courts have been
wise enough to adapt it to the needs
of the centuries, so the law of public
service corporations with tho new
problems they offer must be made
to adapt Itself to new conditions in
thev nresent themselves. I
None of us can countenance any i
legislation confiscatory In character,
m1 which would jeopardize property
or Investment, but the rights of the
slate and of the people, who are the
state, must always bo maintained
supreme. The rights of tho cre
ated can never be greater
tkon those of the creator. It
would certainly be Just to every Inter-
.i:t. f.t i.i. iff. I.. t.iu. Hilt Vio villi- I
road companies In Oregon should first
pay their fixed charges, maintenance
and operating expenses, Interest upon
bonds and a fair dividend upon .capi
tal stock, and then that the surplus
net profits shall be used in the con
struction of new lines within tho state.
Such legislation would be reasonable
and properly within the purview of
the recognized right of corporate
regulation by the state.
Excessive Iind Holding,
I approach the solution of the prob
low of excessive land holdings with
some hesitancy, because many of them
nre In the hands of Individuals and
corporations, ostensibly organized for
private purposes, and under the guar
antees of tho federal constitution the
questions presented ore, from a legal
standpoint, complicated ones. I
think It will bo admitted, however,
that there can be no moral right by
which lands essential to the comfort
and contentment of the race, needed
for homes, can bo Indefinitely with
held from settlement and develop
ment. The state surely must possess
some remedy. Reason Is Justice, and
Justice must bo the basis of all law.
The American people can never per
mit old world landlordism to be fas
tened upon them.
. The general government is now ap
pealing to the courts to compel the
holders of the mighty Oregon & Cal
ifornia railroad grant, extending orig
inally from Portland to the California
lino, to dispose of Its holdings to set
tlers at the price stipulated In tho act
of congress, $2.50 per acre. Lot us
hope that tho courts will say to the
corporate defendant In these proceed
Ings, "The right of contract Willi the
government Is as sacred as with In
dividuals, and you must keep it."
What shall be done If the decree be
adverse? The people do not desire to
despoil any Individual or corporation,
1 ut they demand that those vast hold
Ings of the soil shall not block the
piah of progress or stand In the way
of human needs; that they cither bo
developed or subdivided and sold to
home builders.
There are but two effective reme
dies which appeal to me as Just allke
to the owner of the lands and to the
state: First, an amendment to the
constitution which will permit the
levy of special taxes for public pur
poses upon lands Idle and held for
speculation; and, second, such consti
tutional modifications and legislation
ax will permit the state to exercise
the right of eminent domain, con
demn these lands In the courts when
ever necessary, pay the owners a fair
price for them, and sell them to the
people In small tracts. This proced
ure would place no special burden
upon the state. The fund 'so used
would be a revolving one and ultl
niately would return to the state
treasury with a fair modicum of
profit.
I am aware, of course, that this
would be an unusual exercise of the
historic right of eminent domain,
which primarily Is the taking of pri
vate property for public purposes, but
we are living In an age wherein con
ditions are kaleidoscopic In their pre
sentment, and courts will be justified
In sustaining such exercise of the high
prerogatives for the reason that there
can be no more Important public pur
pose than home building; nothing In
which the entire public has so vital
and far-reaching an Interest. This
remedy only requires the reasonable
ari licatlon to the conditions of our
DOWNWARD COURSE.
Past Being Realized by Pendleton
People.
A little backache at first.
Dally Increasing till the back 14
lame and weak.
Urinary disorders quickly follow;
Diabetes and finally Brlght's dis
ease. This Is the downward course of
kidney Ills.
Mrs. Laura McClure, living at 1311
Madison avenue, La Grande, Ore.,
says: "I have used Doan's Kidney
Pills off and on for three or four
years and the best possible results
have always been obtained. Any over
exertion or the contraction of a cold
often served to bring on backache
and at such times by kidneys would
be weak and I would be greatly an
noyed by dizzy spells, I would be
restless and nervous and as a result
of the loss of sleep, would arlst in
the emornlng feeling tired and worn
out. Learning of the merits of
Doan's Kidney Pills, I procured a box
took them according to directions and
they relieved me at once. I have
kept them them In the house since
as I have the greatest confidence in
them When I feel any of the at-(
tacks coming on I Immediately resort
to Dnon's Kidney Pills and they never
fall to give the desired results."
For sale by all dealers. Price SO
cents. Foster-Mllburn Co.. Buffalo
New York, solo agents for the Uni
ted States.
Remember the nsme Doan's
and take no other
age of the ancient common law rec
ognition of the superior rights of the
state.
If these suggestions are not pana
ceas, I am ready to accept others, but
I am not willing to sit simply by and
witness the despoliation of the state
cind the destruction of Its future. The
manhood of Oregon must arouse, to
the end that the generations yet to
come may find preserved to them the
harltage justly theirs.
Kodol will. In a very short time,
enable tho stomach to do the work It
should do, and the work It should do
is to digest all the food you eat. It
makes the stomach sweet and It Is
pleasant to take. It is sold here by
Tallman & Co.
"Oregon Builders"
Are you doing what you can to populate your State?
OREGON NEEDS PEOPLE Settlers, honest farmers, mechanics,
merchants, clerks, people with brains, strong hands and a willing
heart capital or no capital.
Oregon Railroad & Navigation Co
Is sending tons of Oregon literature to the east for distribution
through every available agency. Will you not help the good work
of building Oregon by sending us the names and addresses of your
friends who are likely to be Interested in this place? We will be
glad to bear the expense of sending them complete Information
about OREGON and Its opportunities.
COLONIST TICKETS will be on sale during SEPTEMBER AND OC
TOBER from the east to all points In Oregon. The fares from a few
principal cities are
From Denver - 30.00 From Louisville - 541.70
" Omaha - 30.00 " Cincinnati - 42.20
" Kansas City 30.00 " Cleveland - 44.75
" St. Louis 35.50 " New York - 55.00
" Chicago 38.00
TICKETS CAN BE PREPAID.
If you want to bring a friend or relative to Oregon, deposit the
proper amount with any of our agents. The ticket will then be fur
nished by telegraph.
F. J. QUINLAN, Local Agent, Pendleton, Ore.
or write
Win. McMURJlAY
General Passenger Agent, Portland, Oregon.
,
Byers' Best Flour
Is made from the choicest wheat that grows. Good bread la assur
ed when BYERS'.BEST FLOUR is used. Bran, Shorts, Steam Rolled
Barley always on hand.
! PENDLETON ROLLER MILLS
W. S. BYERS, Proprietor.
A
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ar's
mbscriafiion
to the
BOY
will be given absolutely free to any
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