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About The Oregon scout. (Union, Union County, Or.) 188?-1918 | View Entire Issue (May 15, 1890)
THE COUNTY SEAT A Letter Thai Should be Read ly Everbody. r A VERY TRANSPARENT SCHEME. Section C of The Enabling Act a Snare For The Unwary. Tklocaskt, May 10th. 1S!X. Editor Okkgo.v .Scokt: Tlio Gazctto of May 2nd makes a desperate effort to convince the peo ple of Union county that their finan cial salvation depends on the removal - of the county seat to La Grande, and were it not for the fact that there arc several points at issue designed to de ceive the people 1 should pass its arguments by unheeded. We are al ways ready to reccivo with due con sideration any arguments ha-ed upon reason and common sense, but arc not willing to bo stalled with a lot of balderdash that will not bear dissection, deferring to section G of the enabling act the Gazette says: It may bo stated as a fact, which everybody will admit, that the ona blingact was gotten up by friends of La Grande, and Section G of that act was originated and inserted by the friends of La Grande. The object of the sec tion is to guard the taxpayers. It is restrictive in its cnaracier. aim puts a limit on the amount the County Court may expend in case the county seat is removed. It would be foolish to have the enabling act passed without restric tion, because in that case La Grande's cause would stand before the public of the country the same as Union's now is, and there would be no limit to the amount that might bo expended for new county buildings. By the friends of La Grande, indeed! Not by the friends of the county of Union irrespective of any particular town or locality ; not by the friends of the taxpayers of the county, that their burdens might be lessened, and taxa tion reduced; but by the friends of La Grande, that La Grande might build up at the expense of the entire county. Every precinct, and every individual taxpayer in Union county is not only asked to contribute, but asked to make it more binding upon themselves by voting for a law. compelling them to pay a stipulated sum yearly and for what? Is it asked for the purpose of relieving the citizens, or even a major ity of them, of any great inconvenience or hardship to which they are sub jected by reason of the inaccessibility of the present location of the county seat? Was it because there was a general murmur of dissatisfaction all over the county demanding that this change be made? No. 13 at it was "gotten up by the friends of La Grande" that the people of the entire county might be compelled to pay tribute to her. We herewith submit section (! that no one may misunderstand the con 'text: oeeiion o. nnouiu me icgai voters of said county decide to change the location of said county seat, and should the same be located at tome other point than wln't-o the same is now located, the county court of said county shall not have the power or authority to an propriato any sum of money to exceed tfzo.OOO for the construction of now county buildings, and shall not have power or authority to levy any tax up on the property of said county in ex cess of two and one half (2.1) nulls on the dollar of tho taxable- property of said Union county annually for that purpose. ' Tlioy claim that tho object of this Eection is to protect the taxpayer, as it is restrictive in its character and "puts a limit on the amount tho county court may expend in case the county seat is removed." Now Mr. Gazette, ' section G does not say any such thing, and tho only reason you use the word "expend" is simply for tho pur pose of deceiving the people into tho belief that $25,000, is tho limit of ex penditures that the county court may make for new county buildings, as tho following plainly shows : Itemenibcr, again that not moro than 2 mills can bo levied in any one year to make up this gross amount of .f 2V 000. In Sec. 0 tho word "appropriate" is used instead of tho word "expend" which places a limit only on that amount the court may appropriate but places no limit on what it may ex pend for county buildings, for which it shaH not have power to ."lovy any tax upon the property of said county in excew, of two and ono-half (2J) milbj j on the doll r of the taxable property i of said Union county unnualy for that j Viurposo." Kor what purpose? Not, 1 as you make it aj.p ar, for the purio j of ' makiui; ap tins gruos amount of J !f2."),ooo.'' hut for the purpote of ton- , btuc tiii- new county huikliugb. j It is at-urJ to contend that a county Fine Line of Watch lULKUUf! court cannot o iisfru. t county budd iius Willi, nt lir.-t getting a permit from the legifhturo; it is also just as abs-urd to presume for a moment that the county court mast consult the legislature as to its requirements in th j line of buildings. Oregon might juH as well ark the congress of tho United States what kind of state buildings she roquires. So far as tho conctruclion of county buildings is concerned tho court can as well construct buildings under this act costing $10,000, as sho can f2.",- 000 and that without going through tho mockery of appropriating a single dollar, merely by a levy of two and one-half mills on tho dollar inrtclnnitc ly, or until the completion and pay ment for such buildings as the county should require. We do not wish to be understood as taking the position that tho legislature had no power to restrict in this particular act. but we do tnko tho position that there is no restriction as to tho amount that the expenditure may ultimately reach by a levy of not to exceed 2.1 mills on the dollar por annum, and as there is no limit as to time it is left wholly to the people of the county, through the county court, to say what these new buildings shall cost. And again, had tho legislature limited the coat of the now buildings to $20,000, and it afterward appeared that tho amount was insufficient, tho legislature would not, and could not well refuse to grant the county court the power to expend any farther sum which might be necessary for the com pletion of said buildings, and this is just what the taxpayers would have to submit to, had there been such limita tion in the act. W. A. C. THE PAKIC. The Grain Crop Hews Notes Social Gath erings and Personal Mention. Fruit of all kinds will bo plentiful, this year. Several of tho Park children have the ineasels. liear, and game of all kinds is very scarce this spring. Crops are in and all of tho spring sowing is cowing up. Fine prospects for good liny crops. Timothy, wild grass and rye look line. Mr. Cornelias Van is in the Park. He is in very poor health, being afllicted with the shaking palsy. There is more acres put in grain this spring than ever before, at ono time, since the Park was settled. Tho poem "Busted in I3utto," by 13. W. Huffman, is a good ono for young men to read and take heed to. Many strangers are passing through tho Park. We don't know whether thej are candidates or Hunt's spies. T.io mill company bore, have bought tho boiler that tho Union flouring mill had, and it is now here and will soon ho put in operation. The directors of tho Park school have concluded to not have any school till fall, Then they will give some good looking teacher a chance. Mrs. Ella Shaw presented her hus band with a ten pound son, recently. Mother and son doing well but San ford hurt his toes kicking things out of his way. Mr. Sam'l Vanorder Avent to Union recently after hay and ono of his hor ses was taken with something like the blind staguers and he had to leave his hay till next morning. Tho sawmill has been started again and if tho candidates who come around do not set up tho cigars they may get "sawed off" next .lane. Where aro all the candidates, anyway? The folks of tho J'ark mot on tho 2Sth tilt, at tho home of grandpa and grandma South to colobrato tho 59 th year ol their married mo. All Had a good time and wont home happy. Mrs. Trtiesdalo, Miss Graham and J3ud and Ed. Truesdale of La Grande, returned home from a visit here, a few days ago. Etta Truosdalo and her pony, likewiso her poodle, is going to stay i. the Park for a while. Every body know Etta. Tho Americans aro a poacoablo and long suffering people. They will en dure a wrong a long time but when they get enough thoy will put things to light. It is to be hoped that tho monoplies will boar down on tho peo ple so hard that they will gel enough and do something for thenm-lves. Tho farmer and workingmeu have got tho power in their hands if thoy will only ne it. Hut no, they must follow ono or the other of the uld parties, rijjht or wron. and complain mid growl and talk "' out what ought to be done. JloiKB. ies, Clocks, Jewelry, i SPARTA, The Laiigrroll Planing and Shingle Mills. j E BUTTE CITY OF OREGON. A Boom In Fl:cr Jllaint TS Littlo PUtsburg to ba Sold. Camp full of stranger. Mines and mining interests are all the talk. The Lnugrell saw, plaining and shingle mills commenced work Mav oth and are busy filling orders. Sparta is now called tho 13attc City of Oregon and tho outlook justifies the eompnrifon, and time will prove this no misnomer. The Windsor mine owned and opor ated by Dr. Marrotte and brother con tinues to improve in quantity and quality as the work of develonment goes on and when a mill is up tho Windsor will prove a heavy producer PKicer mining is more extensively carried on than for many years past, owing to tho large supply of fice wa ter and tho gold yield will be larger this summer than at anv time since 1S71. Everybody that can run rocKcr or ground sluice lias money, consequently everybody is happy. A. G. Waldron, contractor has com pleted a three hundred and fifty fot tunnel lor (.Mougn it need, owners of tho Gray Eagle and Union mines and a second contract to drift five hun- leet on tlio ledge m tlio same mines has been lot by tho owners to the same contractor. Tho tunnel on the Arkansaw IJelle has been driven four hundred feet, and Mr. Garandthc contractor is instructed by the owners, who live in Portland, to continue the tunnel one hundred feet farther unless the ledge is out before that time. ' Several small str.itas of ore, rich in gold, have been cat, and several hundred tons of a low grade sal phurate oro has been dumped, and the indications are favorable for a rich ore body when the main pay chute is en countered. Contracts are let for sinking an in cline wing on the lodge, at the bottom of the air shaft, in tho M7 foot tannol, on tho Del Monte now owned by Geo. Henderson, and thus far, this is the most promising property in camp, as tho pay dirt is over three feet in thick ness and while it carries lino gold enough to pay all expences of mining and milling tho sulpharots assay !?!() in gold to the ton. The Little Pittsburg owned by W P. Arble & Co. will soon pass into tho hands of a wealthy Portland syndicate and from mill runs made, and from ore in sight the Little Pittsburg will soon be enumerated among tho heavy dividend payers of tho country. O. S. 15. INDEMNITY. The Summervllle Annotator Sizes up tho Last Scheme of tho La Grande Ballot-Box Stuffera to Defraud tho People. For months tho La Grande Gazotto has been paving marked attention to the tax-payers of Union county. I3ut its billinir and cooing, sighing and wooing is not a moro passing fancy or an irresistible fascination toward tho tax-payers of the north end of tho county. It is not an affair of tho heart, but a well matured plot to capti vate their vote by fulsome flattery and a hollow proteiiho of sympathy and affection. Tho heaviest load of their intimidation and bribery was heaved upon thej people, in .100 extra copies of tho Gazette, last week in tho fol lowing language : "A bond was drawn up yesterday and is now being circulated for signa tiues in which tho signers of the same bind themselves to pay to tho county court of Union county an amount equal to tho valao of Union county's buildings." Tho bond rcforrod to was hatched out in the nest of the political bribers who attempted to stuff tho ballot box in tho recent city olectio'n of La Grande, and is not worth as much as Snodgrass' nolo to tho tax-payers of Union county. "Como into my parlor, Haul tho spider to the fly." Aro tho tax-payers of the north end of tho county willing to play lly for tho La Grande spider? Aro tho people of tho county generally gullible enough to play cat's paw for the La Grande monkoy? No fair-minded man will believe tho honeyed buncombe which is being dealt out so liberally to tin tax-payors by those ultra polluters of the ballot box in La Grande Money can prooufo almol anything, and has procured, in Silverware, Guns this county, blind decrption of ilu j enple, which deception is fast passing away, and the robbers' occupation will soon be at an end. Then W. .1. Snod grass, X. Blum and their followers "will go back into their kennels and lie down and go to sleep." The Gazette see.-.is to think that the honest tax-psm rs of the north end of the county should vote a tax upon themselves, by voting for La Grande for the county seat, simply to gratitly the selfish, insane ambition of a few contemptible ballot box stuffers, of the town that wears nit air of: "Yon all shall sweetly obey my will." Wo will admit that there are some truly good and honest jeople in La Grande, but thev aro throwing no court house mud, and will not sacrifice their honor by signing a deceptive bond in order to pluy a confidence gnme and thus dnpo their neighbors. THE GOVS. May U, 1890. Tho destructive wire worm Iiks mado its appearence on tho Sandridgo nnd attacked the grain. Several fields have ! already been resown. There are several cases of tho measles in the vicinity. All are doing well. Tho disease has not yet interfered with the attendance at school. J. T. Jewell, road supervisor lias been leveling the principal street of Cove this week. It will help appeal-, ences very much, besides improving the thoroughfare as a driveway. Advertised letters in the Cove post oflico May U!th: Mrs. .lane Cameron, Miss Anna Makin, (2) .las. MeMann, 1). H. Perkins, J. G. Smith, W. L. Tuekor. Jasimih G. Stevkxi, P. M. Tho cherry crop excepting sour va rieties will bo a failure this year, apples will yield very well, plums, prunes and pears will bo short. Tho prospect for a good supply of strawberries is Haltering. Thoy will commence to ripen in about thrco weeks. Copies of tho Gazetto containing not much besides county seat scrib blinga are being sent in a perfect tor rent over tho county. Every voter gets one or more. Several deluded Coveites have already said tlioy would vote for La Grande for tho county seat. It is whispered that two couplo, born and bred in Cove and grown up together, will hie themselves to La Grando early next month for the avowed purpose ot launcning tneir barks on tho sea of matrimony. May their experience in double harness bo as ono long summer day. Wo had tho pleasure of a brief call at the Cove tannery this week. Tho gentlemanly superintendent, Mr. Adam Crossnian took in through the differ ent departments and pointed out tho various processes through which the hide passes boforo being finished into loa'hcr ready for the niarkot. A largo water wheel furnisho. power for tho establishment and it is proposed to run a dynamo and light the premises by electricity. The products of the tannery have boon pronounced by ex perts' to bo of tho very best grudo. Sovoral thousand dollar's worth of stock is now on hand, and every sad dler and harness maker in Eastern Oregon should patronize home indus try by sending in a sample order, ft is found that Covo leather is choapor than that of California manufacture with freight added. Free Reclining Chair Cars Pacific System. via Union Train No. 1, "Tho Limited East Mail" leaving Portland on tho Union Pacific System at 7 a. m. daily, in ad dition to Pullman Palaco and Colonist Slecpors and Dining Cars, is also equipped with elegant freo declining Chair Cars, both first-class and Colon ist, which run through from Portland to Chicago without change. Both first-class and Colonist Chair Cars aro furnished with Reclining Chairs of tho latest improvod pattern ; aro uttcd up with sinoKing rooms, lavatories for both ladioH and gontlc- men, and aro lighted by gas. All classes of passoiigcrn aro carried n these cars without additional charge. Passengers desiring tho quiokost tinio and host possible- service from Portland and tho northwest to all east ern points, should purchase their tick ets via tho Union Pacific System Their Agents will tnko pleasure in furnishing ratos, tiokots, through bag gage chocks, detailed information, etc., upon application. A Pointer For You. 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