EniTon.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2G, 1891.
MHTOIUAI. SOTKS.
A hill granting .1 pension of $100 a
month to Mrs. Gen. Ouster has pasted
congress.
Chaules Fosteii, of Ohio, has been
appointed secretary of the treasury,
vice William Window, deceased.
Ip quickly getting rid of alargetur
plus in the treasury entitles a party to
public confidence, the republicans will
have a sure thing in 1802.
The "practical" men who think they
can deal with mon as though they were
thinas, and with communities as
though they wore herds of cattle, soon
er or later reveals tho fact that they
arc the most impracticable men of all
Tin: second session of tho fifty-first
congress is notconspicuously successful
in carrying out the high-horso pro
gramme framed by Mr. Heed and adop
ted by Hoar and Edmunds. Tho No
vember elections seem to have hail a
paralyzing effect upon tho lino enthus
iasm of a year ago.
Wii aro in receipt of tho initial num
ber of tho Elgin Itccorder, tho new pa
per started at that placo last week by
Swinohart it Tuttlo, they having pur
chased tho plant and subscription list
of tho Stimmcrvillo Proas and moved it
to Elgin. Tho Recorder presents a
very good appearance and shows cvi
denco of future prosperity. Wo wish
it success.
A town without a newspaper would
bo a dead place and yet there are busi
ness mon in every town who refuso to
support their local paper beyond usub-
Bcription and perhaps a few locals oc
casionally, and yet they oxpect a papor
to work for their intorcst and aro quick
to find fault if it docs not como up to
their required standard. If a town de
sires a first-class, progressive, live- jour
nal that will rellcct credit on tho place,
it must do its duty toward supporting
that journal. A liberal, progressive
policy pays in every enterprise Stin
giness is fogyism in a very aggravated
.form.
An important point of law, which
will bo of interest to counties contem
plating tho building of county bridges
was decided by Judge Dcady in tho
caso of tho 1'acilic Bridge Company
ngainst Clackamas county. The court
hold that tho montion ol tho "board of
county commissioners" in section 1ML
of tho compilation of 1887, relating to
tho contracts for the building of coun
ty bridges, is null und void, bceauso
there is no such tribunal known to tho
constitution or laws of Oregoiuis board
of county commissioners, and tho leg
islature might as we'll huvo said tho
"board of missions."
It is now understood that tho repub
licans appreciate tho fact that tho only
chunco they have of winning in 1802
is to make 11 sentimental campaign,
and with this ond in view it is said thoy
will nominate RobortT. Lincoln for no
other reason than that ho happons to
bo tho son of his father; but ho will
not bo elected. Tho country has grown
tired of sentiment and tho people will
not cast their votes for a man whoso
only claim to their support is tho fact
that ho was "papa's little boy." Thoy
now huvo at tho whito houso a-man
who is tho grandson of his grandfather
nnd thoy do not want any more of tho
Bontimcntal rnolcot. Ono doso is moro
than enough.
TilK now organization of tho farm
ers' allianuo brings tho discussion of
questions connocted with our agricul
tural life to tho front. Row E. P, Pow
ell, who is a regular contributor to
Farm and Gurdon, and a practical and
enthusiastic farmer, as well as student,
journalist, and preacher, reviows tho
year 1800, and expresses in his incisivo
fashion a deep distrust of most of tho
methods and motives underlying tho
present agitation on this question. It
is our bad and wasteful system of pop
ular education, ho thinks, which lies
at tho bottom of tho trouble, unfitting
tho farmers' eons for both a lovo nnd
understanding of farm life, its neces
sities and its advantages. Tho Ger
mans and tho Swedes outdo the Amer
icans in skillful and fruitful cultivation
of tho soil, legislation and polities
will not help it man to raise good crops,
or to find 11 speedy market for thoin.
Wo have como to a crisis in American
arming, my Mr. Powoll, and shall
havo a revolution without doubt; und
ho deplores tho fatal liklihood that
years will bo wasted in "trying lo com
pal prosperity by a HOtof stututen."
B. Chakcev,
WHY DON'T TIIEV KXVltAlX.
Two weeks ago wo published a letter
from "Citizen" in which ho asked a
few plain questions in regard to cer
tain matters transacted through our
municipal government, and kindly
asked that some member of tho coun
cil explain them, and space was prof
fered them in Tin: Scout to do so, but
it Fcems they have no desire to make
known their modo of transacting busi
ness for tho city, and that no ono
should question their acts as evidenced
by tho following which appeared in tho
last issue of their organ :
Tho two or three selfish, narrow and
prejudiced citizens and disgruntled,
"would-be politicians" that aro endeav
oring to exert a silent and traitorous
influence to check tho growth and
progress of tho town that is so unfortu
nate as to bo the abiding place of their
mossbackism. merit only the scorn of
those true citizens who aro laboring for
tho miblic weal. The game of tho cow
ard is being played among those who
ought to set a bettor example, wny
these client, condemning interrogations
regarding every effort of public enter
prise? Silent? Tso, not always silent,
Oft' they drift into public note througl
their favorite organ. YIiat is tnei
motive? Does anyone daro to suggest
that it is for tho good of tlio eityr w
arc pleased to Know mat 111c nuinuer
of croakers aro few and that their influ
enco is fast fading away before tho
honest efforts of our people to advauco
tho city of Union.
Tim Scout, truo lo its motto, is al
ways open for discussion ol matters ot
public interest, and wo think theso aro
questions that should rcceivo attention
It surely would do no harm for some
member of tho council to answer tho
(lucstions asked by "Citizen." If the
council is justified by law in these pro
ceedings in question, wo seo no reason
why thoy should remain silent. It
18
true Judge banders attempts to an
swor tho questions, but ho is not
member of tho council, and only says
that the 100 appropriated by tho conn
cil for tho purposo of sending a repre
sentativo to Salem to piwh tho charter
bill through, was not used and tho oi
der will ho cancelled, but ho fails to say
anything about tho other matters in
question, and wo presumo ho knows
nothing about them, but tho members
of tho council do and it is their duty to
explain them.
So far as Judge Sander's acts aro con
coined, no ono is blaming nun lor go
ing to Salem to look aftor tho peoplo's
interests, and Tun Scout appreciates
his kindness, but tho question was, has
tho city council tho power to appropri
ato inonoy out of tho city treasury for
tho purposo of defraying tho expenses
of a man to go to Salem to lobby for a
measuro of this kind? If they havo
tho power, why not lot it bo known to
tho pcoplo?
Thk Scout docs not, nor does "Citi
zen," accuse th council of doing any
thing wrong, but tho narrow-minded
idiot, of tho Republican, scorns to think
if any ono differs from his opinion
but wo doubt if ho has ono of his own
ho is a "inossback, opposed to tho
progress of tho town," etc., and that is
all the argument ho can produce.
Tun Scout is and always has been
in lavor ol public improvements, and
tho upbuilding of tho town, and has
done 111010 in this direction than the
Republican will over do. Tho pcoplo,
except a few, always look to Tin: Scout
for redress in matters of this kind, and
thoy generally get it, but the editor of
tho Republican, poor follow, is under
it 11 1 t 1 1 it
1110 uiuiuu aim is manipulated iu;o a
jumping-jack, by a half dozen would
bo leaders, who can seo nothing right
and good except in somo sohoino con
cocted by thorn, and who think it is
something terrible if thoir aots aro
questioned.
Tin; stanpoui sciii:.ni:.
Tho overwhelming objection, presen
ting itself at tho very outset to all such
measures as tho Stanford bill, is that
thoy would completely destroy tho sta
bility of tho currency, and make mon
ey purely speculative. That is tho
principal objection to a national bank
circulation arranged to expand ami
contract. It makes tho yardstick or
tho bushel moasuro elastic. Money
should bo nothing moro than tho yard
stick or tho bushel measure Ht ought
to measuro values and not dotormino
thom. To ohango tho dollar is tho
sumo sort of n fraud as measuring with
tho yardstick long or short to suit a
particular case. It has beou done in
tho last twenty years porsistently, but
it was thoft then, it is theft now, and it
will bo thpft in those who follow such
precodoi.ts on ono side or tho other.
What this country needs is plontyof
goods and a fair yardstick to measuro
them a yardstick that cannot bo
shortened or lengthened. That is, it
needs unrctrieted competition in tho
necessaries of life and a ourrenoy that
will bo naturally controlled by tho it
lily of gold and silver. Whutovor this
natural supply is at any timo it is fur
belter to biuo our paper greenback cur
rency on it than it is to leave tho con
trol of it to demagogue politicians and
financial sharpers.
Another overwhelming objection to
any currency issued on land as secur
ity is that it would make the federal
government a usury office and put the
lands of tho states in pawn. It is easy
enough to get your property into a
pawn shop at tho legal rate, and the
legal rate may bo low enough lo make
you think at tho time it will be easy
to pay out, but paying out is another
matter. After tho principal is spent,
paying back principal and interest is
in many cases, if not in most, a sheer
impossibility. Under the Stanford
scheme we would have a purely specu
lative currency, causing at first a wild
inflation and soon resulting in a de
pression in which not only land values
but land titles. would be involved. Tho
eepcrate existence of the states or else
tho stability of tho Union would bo put
at hazard. At its very best the sys
tem would make tho citizens of tho
states dependent debtors of the federal
government, whoso only cscapo from
dependence would bo in becoming
fraudulent debtors and cheating the
government out of immense sums
principal and interest. On ono side
and the other our system of individual
independence and local self-government
would bo sacrificed for paper tokens
which would soon lose all value as
standards of exchango and would in
evitably become nothing moro than
discredited certificates o! private in
debtcdness to a paternal government
which coi.ld not again accredit them
without becoming despotic to the last
degree. There are people enough who
would like to borrow papor money from
tlio government at two per cent, on
their farms and city lots. How many
of them aro there who would hko to
have the government foreclose on them
as it would havo to do to give real cs
late or a iarm product currency any
permanent value or standing whatever?
Thero aro many other objections to
the idea of tho Stanford bill, such as
tho immonso advantage it would give
political combinations and syndicates
of fraudulent speculators in leaguo with
official rings. Rut thoso who would
not be convinced by tho two objections
abovo presented are not likely to be
convinced by anything short of tho
calamity which comes as' a penalty for
folly. St. Louis Republic.
THE LEGISLATURE.
A Nowsy Lgttor From Salora Both Houacs
Adjourn Voto Power.
Salem, February 22. Special cor
respondenco to The Scout. At 10 : -15
o'clock p. m. Friday tho nresidont of
tho senate and tho speakcrof tho house
closed their rospectivo farewell addres
ses, and declared tlio sixtoonth bien
nial session of tho Oregon legislature
adjourned sino die.
Tho number of laws passed was onor
inous, m tact quite sulliciont to last
tho state for many years, and succeed-
ng legislatures for somo timo will on
ly bo required to appeal oxisting stat
utes, and tho courts will be kept busy
passing upon tho constitutionality of
many of the enactments. Uoth houses
spent tho short session Friday in sign
ing bills, and all such which had been
acted on by both branches of tho leg
islature received tho signatures of the
officers.
SSo legislature 111 tho history of tho
stato has nttompted so much as this
ono, though many havo boon divided
on this score, and accomplished so lit
tle. Only a vory fow laws havo been
passed affecting the stato in general,
nnd many of thoso aro worse than uso
less. Tho only ones which really af
fect the masses of tho pcoplo aro tho
port of Portland bill, tho Portland con
solidation bill, tho Australian ballot
bill, tho $(50,000 portago railway bill,
and ono known as tho labor bill. AH
oxcopt tho first and last nanicd havo
been discussed in theso columns here
tofore and need no further mention.
Tho port of Portland bill provides for
tho issuing of bonds to tho extent of
$000,000 by tho city of Portland for
tho purposo of creating 11 channel from
that placo to tho sea, of n mean dopth
of twenty-ilvo feet. Tho bill is purely
ocul in its nature, but general in its
results; theroforo wo include it in tho
tho abovo list. Tho labor bill passed
tho house Thursday night, having
passed the sonato somo timo previous.
The bill is a direct and fatal stab at
organized labor, and in spite of all tho
intluonco which could bo brought lo
bear, it passed both houses. It pro-
ides that any person who t-hall by
lorco attempt to prevent any perspn
from working or accepting work, or b
f . ' . .
inimus 01 iinntou or written nrntinr.
whether concerned us an olllear, agent
or mtnnbor of any association, or to m-
uco othors to neithor buy nor toll to
anothor, or to compel him to dieohargo
or employ anothor, or to inoroaso tfuir
wages or tho number employed, shall '
be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.
In other words, all strikes, boycots,
regulating tho prico of labor or in any
wise advancing the cause of labor is a
misdemeanor under tho provisions of
this act. Tho bill was introduced by
Senator Willis, of Multnomah county.
Hardly one-half of tho members knew
tho literal meaning of the act, and
when it camo up for final passage, it
was too late to work against it effectu
ally. Labor organizations of tho stato
generally overlooked the bill, and had
but very few representatives to work
against it. The only hope now for tho
defeat of tho law is tho governor's veto,
and as near as can bo learned ho will
allow it to pass. Why ho should do
this cannot oven bo conjectured, as
heretofore ho has posed as tho friend
of tho laborer and poor man, and on
this question entirely rests his political
success.
The number of foolish, if not detri
mental, laws passed at the recent ses
sion is tho leading topic of conversation
at tho capital, and tho doings as a
wholo arc almost univessally con
demned. There is no doubt but that
tho fight for supremacy between tho
Simon and Lotan factions has had
much iufiuonco in leading to legislation
of this kind.
The prediction that tho assessment
nnd taxation bill would not pass has
been vorified, much to the disgust of
tho friends of better laws in that direc
tion. The senate firmly planted both
feet on it after it went on the table.
That body mado itself most conspicu
ous, however, in tho matter of a world's
fair appropriation. During tho last
twenty-four hours of the session, tho
friends of the bill labored hard to call
it up in tho senate, but to no purposo,
and attention will thereforo bo attract
ed to our incomparable stato and its
mossbacks as being the only ono in
this glorious union that failed to make
such an appropriation.
Tho wagon road bills met the late
predicted in store for them at tho hands
of tho governor. When tho veto was
announced tho wagon road men held
a caucus and drafted another bill em
bodying tho whole family of bills, ap
propriating tho money out of the 5 per
cent sale of stato lands. This went the
way of its predecessors, and all road
legislation has been killed for two years.
Tho objections of the governor to tho
first bill was that it was an injustice
and unconstitutional to divert money
from tho general fund for this purpose.
His objection to tho second was that
tho fund from which tho money was
appropriated belonged to tho school
fund, and could not theroforo bo used.
The contest .over the seat to tho rep
resentatives from Union county died
still born as did also tho meager effort
to attach Pino Valley to Raker county.
Representative Dames, of Wallowa,
could not get tho proper lines and pe
titions from his constituents for annex
ing tho northern panhandlo of Union
to Wallowa, and thereforo tho present
ungainly lines of Union countv will
still adorn the map of Oregon
A sigh of intense rehof arises from
tho averago citizen over tho adjourn
wuui ui uio legislative uoay. its un
4 f . I - 1 1 . .
popularity arises cntiroly from the
quality of the work done, and not from
tho quantity, which has most certainh
been very creditable.
Just boforo adjournment, Rcpresen
tative Moore, of Denton county, arose
and thanked Speaker Geer for tho ablo,
ofhcient and fair manner in which ho
has conducted tho deliberations of tho
ower house, and m closing, on behalf
of tho members presontod him with an
elegant gold watch. Mr. Geor was com
pletely overwhelmed, and when suflic-
ii-ii. . . . .
lonuy auio to control Jus emotions, re
turned his thanks to tho members, col-
octively and individually, in appro
priate words.
The majority is greatly censured by
almost cvory domoorat for not allow
ing them to name tho democratic niom
bors of tho railroad, fish and pilot com
missions, which were nominated in tho
republican caucus. On the call of tho
iuii, utuij uuiuuurat voted blank, as
statod by Sonator Veatch, refusing to
n ......... .1 .....
tnuuu uiu uuso prepared for thorn by
a republican caucus.
McAhstor, of Union, will remain in
town a fow days yot as a member of
tho houso committee to oversee tho
preparing of tho journal. Tho other
meinbors havo all returned homo, and
tho capital city has once moro assume!
its ovory-day appearance.
1 110 total amount Of lilOilflV nnnrn.
priated for all purposes, not including
wagon roads and a fow othor nrivutn
and local bills, amounts, in round num
bora to $ 1,2 13,000. The special bills
will run tho amount to noarlv n mil.
lion and a half, should thov be signed by
tho governor. This is by fur the larg
est uxpunditure of money over mado by
tho state, and the oxtravagunco of
homo of the items has called much re
mark. Tho root of tho legislation is
now with tho governor who will un
doubtedly put hia Mump of disapproval
on nmiiy aots of tho recent factional
flght. The voto liowor U now ut work.
fund Hive.- itromUtf of doinir mtuili tmml
to the general interest of tho btato!
Ia ., Q VWV