THE OREGON SCOUT.
AMOS K. J0N1C8
KDITOIt,
City and County Official Paper.
Thursday, Jan'ry 181)0.
A OltKAT 1MIAWIIACK.
Every winter Union is besieged by
a great many people who conic here (o
live during the winter months. The
inuin inducements which bring these
winter residents hero is the extreme
healthfulness of this locality, coupled
with our superior schools and other ad
vantages. Union has never had suffi
cient dwellings to accommodate the
large influx of people- and they have
always experienced great difficulty in
obtaining tonantablo houses. Had fif
ty dwelling nouses been erected in
Union last fall there is no doubt
that all of them would now bo occupied
by people, tho most of whom wotili!
conclude to mako Union their perma
nent home and identify themselves
with our interests. This coming year
will be one of unprecedented activity
and aside no in Hie large number o
dwellings and buisncss houses that will
be built by property owners, there will
lc a greater demand than over for
houses to rent. The property holders
of the town should see that this de
mand is fully supplied and endeavor
to induce immigration by erecting
pleasant homes for new comers.
Nothing is so much needed in a grow
ing town, with an invitating outlook
ahead of it, as a roliabo building associ
ation formed by a combination of lo
eal capital or by the establishment of
a branch to some reliable and honest
national organization of the kind
The recent organization of the Union
branch of the Washington Building,
Loan it Investment Association, of
.Seattle, will likely prove of much bone'
lit to the town, in fact, is sure to if
tho workings of the organization is as
represented.
It should bo tho aim of every citizen
to use all honorable means in his
power to advance tho interests of the
town and to make its numerous nat
ural and acquired advantages known
to all with whom ho comes in contact.
While Union has moved slowly for sev
eral years past, tho time is at hand for
it to take its place among tho thriving
and progressive cities of tho land, and
each and every one of its citizens has
a chance to make tho most of favorable,
apportuuities and in building homes
and fortunes for themselves, assist in
tho general prosperity of tho town.
FOHEBT DELL DOTLETS.
Vim: Vai.ixv. Or., .Inn. in, isno.
Kreeinan S. has his best girl again.
Snow in tho valley to tho depth of
two feet.
Oram! masquerade ball at Cornuco
pia on tho lfith inst.
Therinometor sixtcon degrees below
zero on the morning of the Oth inst.
Literary society in Sunny Doll dis
trict draws great crowds apparently
more crowds than either literary or
society.
Miss Mallard, who spent tho holidays
in tho valley, expressed herself as well
pleased with tho young folks and with
her visit generally.
AVo learn that llov. Oliver will be
gin a protracted meeting in Sunny
Doll district Sunday o veiling. It is
to bo hoped better order will prevail
than has heretofore at tho literary.
Mr. Jacobson who hud a baud of
1200 sheep is said to have lost about
1000 of them, lie was warned repeat
edly against taking them there to
winter and lias paid very dearly for
his experience.
At the 1. 0. 0. V. installation of ofli
eers, recently, the following officers
were installed : K. A. Leep, N. (J,;
11. 1). Lundrum, V. (1. ; J. A. Denuoy,
V. See.; llonry Foster, Keo. See.; A.
It. Stalker, Trcas.
There has been a protracted meet
ing at Pino valley under tho auspices
of Jtuv. Oliver of tho M. E. church.
Cold weather causing but a vmall at
tendance the meetings adjourned un
til more favorable weather.
Wc are assured by Dr. O'Connor
that ho never authorized anyone to
nieution his name as an aspirant for
office. However, tho doctor is compe
tent to tight his own battles and wo
expect to see a communication from
him noon,
Wo loam that llov. Yokum, who by
tho way has on several occasions (we
don't know who was to blame) failed
to put in an appearance to till appoint
ments that had been made for him,
did not come to Eagle, owing to J lie
fact that ho was requested by people
there not to do to, for fear of the
meetings causing spread of dipththo
ria, of which there has been two or
tin eo cases there, recently, and as Jtev.
Yokum did not come to Kagle he also
failed to got to Pine, To thoho who
know tho fatal nature of this terrible
pcourgo, it .seems u who plan to defer
all such gatherings for a time.
OAKR1K It. DOVE.
;a nutfor the solons.
A Curious Stated of Affairs Shown up for
the Information, of tli o Feoplc.
Editor Scout:
"Figures won't lie" is an old adage,
but they make liars out of very many
people in Oregon. Tho nsscssmcn
rolls for tho various counties in Oregon
are now on file in tho office of the sec
rotary of state, and the O.rcgonian
making a statement of the resources o
Oregon in its New YearH edition pub
lishes the summaries of thensscssmen
rolls excent the new county of Sher
man which was not in at that time
and theso published summaries ough
to he an effective eye-opener for the
honest tax-payers of the state. When
each tax-payer is assessed, he lists his
various kinds of property, giving it in
supposably at its true cash value, and
then lists his indebtedness in the state
and strikes a balance which is the uc
taxable nronertv. or tho amount on
which ho pays tax. These individua
assessments aio placed in tne assesss
mcnt roll of the county, tne same
kind of property and values under eacl
other, and the whole county assessmcn
summarized, showing tho whole value
of each different kind of property in
the county, tho gross value of all, the
indebtedness in tho state, etc., and a
balance struck, showing tho net taxa
ble property in the county.
Now it is verv plain that every debt
owed by one man is a note or account
belonging to another, and when the
one takes it out 01 ins assessment as
indebtedness, the other should give it
in as a note or account, and since no
indebtedness is allowed outside of the
state, the indebtedness claimed by in
dividual tax-payers in Oregon should,
when added together, be less than the
notes and accounts assessed, by the
value of those notes and accounts owed
by outsiders to our citizens, and which
arc assessed in our state, One class
of property is listed as "Money, notes,
accounts, bonds, shares of stock, coun
ty orders, etc.," and it is safe to say
that in Oregon the two items notes
and accounts do not aumeKate over
one-half of tho whole list in value, and
hence tho indebtedness in the state
ought not to bo over one-half as much
as tho "Money, notes, accounts, bonds,
shares of stock, etc." Hut the returns
show that all this class of properly ag
gregates only $l(l,2r3l7!2i, while tho
ndebteduess claimed amounts to $115,-
ft)8,170, or more than twice as much
as the whole of tho notes and accounts
added to the money, bonds stock, and
county orders in the state.
Now it is probablo tho indebtedness
is given in aoout ngnt. it so, tno
money, notes, accounts, bonds, shares
of stock etc., in Oregon in truth aggre
gate not less than $70,000,000 while
tho assessors return but little over
$115,000,000. Now who is it owns
these bonds, money, etc. that escapes
taxation? Is it tho men in ordinary
circumstances or is it the wealthy
class? Hut let us take a few of the
counties representative of tho different
parts of tho state and compare them :
Money, Notes
Acts, llontls,
Stock, Ae. giv
en in to Ass'r,
Indebted
ness ('I'd.
to the
Assignor.
COPJsTY.
Multnomah ?1 7UU .110
$10 170 OIK)
2 (Hid 2i2
2 U70 G2U
I ia- (XX)
1 2i2 tl2
1 701 M7
7H0 SW
1 l'JS (1M
1 010 flSO
i ;t7f on
1127 in)
1 71!l 107
WJ t;oi
Umatilla 1 HiJJ l'-'O
Marion 0MI
Union 1)72 71W
Lane fM)
l.lllll -ISO 0!W
llaker .'107 -10(1
DoUKlas 747(110
Clatsop ID) I7S
OluRkauuw i" :ms
W'usro lil I )7
Yamhill 1 .T.'O 1)28
Coos . 121 011
Does any one in Oregon believe
Unit Umatilla county has $210,000
more money, notes, bonds ive. than
Multnomah county with her city of
Portland and her score of millionaires?
.Multnomah county says so, and then
claims $7,(500,000 nioro indebtedness
than Umatilla, anil Multnomah county
tax-payers solemnly swore to their as
sessments just tho samo as those of
Umatilla county did. Does any intel
ligent person iu Oregon believe that
Union county has $110,000 more mon
ey, etc. than Marion county with her
city of Salem and flourishing manu
factures and banks? Marion county
says so, and then claims $'JC.i,000
more indebtedness than Union county,
whilo Lano county with hor thriving
Eugene City, claims more than twice
as niuoh indebtedness as she gives iu
money, notes, accounts, etc, and Linn
county with her rich and beautiful city
of Albany, tries to beat Multnomah
by claiming threo and one-half times
as much debt as she has money, etc.
Hut let us drop tho rest and examine
Multnomah county a little further.
Multnomah county contains tho city
of Portland which claims to have over
(50,000 population. Her people claim
that she is tho richest city in propor
tion to population in tho world. She
claims no less than twenty millionaires.
Hor real estate transactions for 1880
amounted to $1-1.000,000. Her maun-
facturing output amounted to $20,000,
000. She claims that the has $03,000,
000 invested in wholesale and retail
trade, not including incorporated banks
or railroad incorporations. The last
statement of her ten principal banks I
show a capital of $G,lf,o,000, with stir- ; TJ1Q QTeafc Trade CCH
plus and undivided profits amounting ,
to $2,308,7u0.:i2, or a total bank capital
iu those ten principal banks of $S,"18,- !
7o0.:)2. These published bank state- j
ments must be sworn to the same as I
the assessments o her individual tax- j
payers. The deposits in the banks '
ought to amount to really as much as j
the bank stock proper, and yet the
bank stock alone of ten of her banks j
amount to five It mm what the 7ioe
county gave in as money, notes, ac
counts, bonds, etc, to tho assessor. It
is humiliating after reading the statis
tics of Portland's trade and wealth as
gathered and arranged by tho Orego
nian, to notice that tho gross value of
all property of the whole of .Multno
mah county, as given to the assessor
for the year 1880 is $10,000,000, and
after taking out indebtedness and ex
emptions she pays taxes on only $2!),-
081,(570.
From the foregoing we mutt con-
elude that Multnomah county gives in
tho most dishonest assessment in the i
state; that Umatilla and Yamhill!
counties came the nearest giving an !
honest assessment; that on this class
of property Eastern Oregon is assessed
fully twice as high as Willamette val
ley, while Willamette valley counties
claim fullv twice as much indebtedness
in proportion to assessment on money,
etc. as Eastern Oregon counties.
fhc evil lies primarily with the
tax-payers who give in a dishonest as
sessment, and it is hard to devise a
satisfactory remedy, for it is true that
there are people who arc strictly honest
in every other business transaction,
who are good and law-abiding citizens,
and yet will lie about their assessment,
and swear to it if nccepsarv.
TURNER OLIVER.
TELOCASET TATTLIN03.
A Heavy Storm -Tne "Bloods" of Unlon-
Nowb and Not03.
January 20, Ib'M.
flic two engines that have been off
the track for several davs past, in
Pyle canyon, were pulled on Sunday
evening.
Wednesday, tho loth inst., was the
roughest day ever experienced by tho
oldest settlers of this place. Tho
storm did not check till 0 o'clock p. in.
Tho Pvlo canvon school has been
running with only five or six scholars.
I he roads were too bad for the ones
farthcrcst away to reach the school
louse.
felocaset school has been suspend
ed oi account of tho deep snow and
bad weather. The scholars are nearly
ill small and could not stand tho rack
et.
Four gentleman from St. Louis,
who had been delayed in llaker for
five davs bv blockade, passed bv Fri
day night in a sleigh. They found
some drifts on tho road that made
tears stand out iu their eyes and
their frame shako.
Wesley Titus, of Jlamo Plat, has
been confined to his house for a few
ivs past with that indcfatigablo La
rippo. Its grip is loosening and he
is around again.
It seems that the young bloods of
Union are having a war over the fair
ex and somo slei li riding is about to
nd in a fracas. It must ho enjoyable
to take a girl riding and expect your
ack to be broken on vour return by a
jealous individual witli blood in lus
ye and a gun m Ins boot.
(.Minister Sundav night.) "Ah my
ear friends you remember of whero
tho bible speaks of tho handwriting
on the wall. Do you know what it
as mv dear Christian brethren and
sisters? (Rarkceper suddenly awak-
ning.) "If you can't pay don't play.
Looks like vou'd ought to remember
from one night to the next."
What a pity another Noah Webster
don't arise and invent a few mote
words to bo used in this combat be
tween the Pine valley pedagogue and
the tongue lasher of the 13. O. R.!
The present edition is far too short
and narrow to supply the missels for
this onslaught. County seat and Doc.
O'Connor are getting quito a ventila
tion. There is ono book recently pub
lished that is destined to create a
widei sensation than any other ever
put in print. It is Stanley's explora
tions iu tho African continent. These
latter days are opening up wonderful
things to the eyes tho world. When
blind faith dies, glorious reality will
reign.
Some of the highest snow drifts aro
piled up around hero this winter that
have ever been known. They would
strike awe to tho bosom of a veteran
Alpine guide or a Dakota rancher.
Stock can scarcely navigate. Sleds
are let down some places in Pyle can
yon by ropes- and horses aio put on
snow shoes. Woo to tho man whoso
hay is not abundant.
We don't hear tho political wolves
howling in tho eaw of, the wearied
populaeo yet. The carcass of county
oftico is not scented by tho hyena,
perhaps. Or perhapd their gaunt logs
are too weary from tho leecnt storms
to bo safe to gaily forth iu the hunt for
tmluUtnnco in the county uhuep (olds.
SIR SING 1.13.
r f 4 Sii: I fan
I
tor of Grande
llonde
AND WALLOWA VALLEYS,
And the distributing point for Union
and Wallowa counties.
ELCEM!
The Junction of Two Great Railroad
Systems, the Union Pacific Oregon
Railway and Navigation, and tho Nor
thern Pacific Oregon and Washing
ton Territory or "Hunt System."
ELGON!
Of all the flourishing towns and cities
in Union county ELGIN is tho only
one that enjoys tho distinguishing fea
ture of occupying a beautiful site' in
the center of a valley, making it mon
arch, absolute, of the situation.
ELGIN
Is surrounded on the east south and
west by the . greatest wheat grow
ing country on the Pacific coast and
j will be connected, direct, with ocean
i transportation on Puget sound.
I ELGIN
I Is surrounded bv foothills of tho IJluc
mountains that are covered from base
to summit with a dense growth of pine,
fir and tamarao timber that can only
be equalled on Puget sound.
ELGIN
Has Water Power of sufficient capacity
to supply unlimited manufacturing,
and arrangements are now being made
for tho erection of extensive grist and
saw mills and other manufacturing in
dustries. Is surrounded by low foothills that
have proven to bo the best fruit-growing
land in Eastern Oregon. Being
entirely free from the sweeping winds
that picvail in other sections, the snow
lies on the ground all winter, a sure
guarantee of good wheat and fruit
crop.
ELGBStf
Can lie supplied at nominal
with pure, sparkling, cold water
cost
from
Phillipps creek, for domestic use,
irri-
gation and protection against lire.
ELGIN
Possesses every clement and facility
required to make it the leading me
tropolis of two rich counties, and that
its gi'owth will be phenomenal as soon
as the railroads are in rapid progress
of construction, is the opinion of all.
All Opportunity for
Persons of Limit
ed Means!
Tho Union Real Estate and Mining
Exchange is offering lots in thoir ad
ditions at nominal prices ranging from
$10 to $50. Terms, 25 por cent, cash
and per month payments. The
price of lots will be raised 10 per cont.
on the 15th of each month during tho
voar.
It is the belief of all who have investi
gated that tho valuo of lots in Elgin
will increase from two hundred to one
thousand fold within the present year.
The right time to get hold of
lots in the right place, on the
floor" prices, is right now.
Communications by letter or other
wise, .will recoivo prompt attention,
and selections will bo niado for parties
in this manner with spooial care.
The Union Heal Es
tate and Mining
Exchange
Is a corporation capitalized at $'20,
000, with $12,ti00 paid up capital. Hon.
1). W. Lichtonthaler, president; Hon.
L. B. Rinohart, vico-pioeident ; S. A.
Pttrfol, treasuror; H. S. McCohirs sec
retary. OK KICK : Two doors north of Cen- j
tennial hotel.
Parties da&iring to buy or m
rwtf
estuto please QU on or mtdruH
E. S. MrCOMAS, Union, Of.
Sco'y. T. It. 15. 4v 31. Ex.
ft few
I
!a.
Union,
JB GQQ&BRQO, - Proprietor.
Itccognlzed by all as the J-
Leading Hotel of Eastern Oregon!
PIXi: r.AItOH SAMPLE HOOMS Por the Accomodation of Commercial Trarelcri,
OlIAKGES REASONABLE.
MONEY
On Improved Farms,
I N(IWLAYS
When Title is Good and Security Satisfactory. Call on or address
STURGILL & STURCILL,
Union, or Baker City, Oregon.
-DEALER IN-
Latest Styles.
Just Beceivcd, Direct from the East, a Largo Invoice of LADIES' and
MISSES' CALFSKIN SHOES, the Best Ever brought to this Market.
Also a Pine Assortment of
GENT'S -:- FURNISHING -:- GOODS.
My Prices will suit the times. Drop in and see mo.
C. VINCENT, Main Street, Union, Or.
Wo Guarantee the Lowest Hates.
No Commissions. No Delays, where
Title and Security is Satisfactory
CORRESPONDENCE -:- SOLICITED.
Wilson & Hsickctl, Union, Or.
WORTH
T
AR1EHOTH
Wilson &
Manufacturers of
i, uoors
lulls,
Cash
iSA rri& Uft'Kft
MS
ai
Keeps Constantly onhitnda Large Supply of
Bedding, Desks, Office Furniture, etc.
All kinds of Furniture Made, anil Upholstering dono to order.
WILSON A Mli.lXIt, Main St., Union, Or
liBI Lit! ui M SIM
(OPPOSITE CENTENNIAL HOTEL.)
J. S. ELLIOTT,
Everything Kirl Clans. Tamts Very Iteasoualile.
Buss to ami l;um tlu- Depot Making Connection with all Trains
Hotel,
Oregon.
TO LOAN
at Reasonable Rates.
All Kinds.
OES,
-E532-
OF GOODS
Buyers at
TORE.
SH
BARGAIN S
ITUR
Miller,
ami Dealers In
r
room
oprietor.t
Parlo
Bed
Sets