EVENTS OF THE DAY
plan s
for
stronger
navy .
. i
Battleship to Coat «1 8 ,OOO.OOO—Sub-
marinas for Pacific.
_________
Washington,
Feb.
28.— Secretary
Meyer, o f the navy department, ia
said to have told the house naval O REG O N 'S NEW WATER C O D E .
committee today o f plans o f building a
world's record-breaking battleship of Methods o f Registering Water Rights
Under 8tate Law
■ 32,000 tons displacement at a cost o f
Salem— Tbe follow ing statement was
118,000,000 and making the United
prepared by State Engineer John H.
States the leading naval power.
Members o f the committee said that Lewis to refute some o f the charges
Lass Important but Not Lass Intar* the secretary’ s radical plans were that the new water law passed by tbe
favorably received by the committee. legislature last year is too intricate
astlng Happenings from Points
The secretary did not refer to naval and cumbersome:
Outside tha State.
“ The assertion has been made that
strength in numbers o f ships or arma
ment, but to various features o f im- the Oregon water code is so intricate
Live hogs reached $9.80 per hundred provement o f the efficiency o f ships and restrictive in its operation as to
a t Chicago.
and guns.
prevent or greatly check the use o f
Asquith is about to fall from power
The building o f the proposed giant streams either for power or for irriga
and his government faces ruin because battleship is delayed until next year tion.
o f his blunders.
only because the naval experiments
“ For the purpose o f throwing some
with 14-inch guns have not been com- light on this subject a summary o f the
Pinchot charges that Ballinger wil-1
*
! pleted, and the department desires to filinge made under this law in the
fu lly deceived President T aft with
know the result o f full experiments. state engineer’ s office between Feb
false statements.
| Tentatively, it is planned to arm the ruary 24 and December 31, 1909, has
A French cardinal was fined for urg- great battleship with a battery o f
been made.
ing the school authorities not to use fourteen 14-inch guns o f the latest
“ A total o f 464 applications for per
the state text books.
type.
mits to appropriate water have been
The
secretary
said
that
plans
for
en
Secretary Meyer has plan for 32,000-
filed, the estimated cost o f the pro-
ton battleship, to cost $18,000,000, largement o f all the drydocks o f the posed work, as given by the appli-
country,
as
outlined
to
the
committee
and carry fourteen 14-inch rifles.
cants, amounting to $30,000,000. The
some weeks ago, were made in contem
Nicaraguan rebels surprised the gov plation o f the great enlargement o f the magnitude o f these figures can be ap
ernment forces, killed their general, battleships and be wanted the docks preciated when it is remembered that
and secured many prisoners and much built to accommodate ships o f great $2,100,000 represen'ed the total cost
o f all irrigation works prior to 1902,
booty.
size.
according to'th e United States census,
It was tentatively agreed that the
Maurice F. Egan, minister to Den
and it is believed that $6,000,000 will
expenditurei made Bince
mark, declares he will believe Dr. naval increase this year based on the f „ C0Ter
^
includiK
ng tho8e o f the gov
— .
Cook honest until he is proven other secretary s recommendations, shall be ^
as follow s:
Two 27,000-ton battle
wise.
ernment.
ships, equipped either with 12 or 14-
“ The fees paid to the state in con
I f the government wins against the inch guns; one regular ship, two col
nection with these filings amount to
tobacco trust, it is ^planned to attack liers and five submarines.
$9,700, a sum which more than covers
the United States Steel corporation
The submarines are for the Pacific
tbe cost to the general taxpayer o f
next.
coast, and are the first o f a fast fleet i ..
. _____ , ___-, ,__
_
No
. . t *.
-fl fe e . n
Roosevelt parted with his retinue o f o f these vessels which will be provided complaint
as
to excessive
fees
in
the
next
few
years.
The
plan
to
complaint
as to
excessive fe
e . o or un
native servants and attendants at Con-
reasonable regulations or restrictions
dokoro, Soudan, and the hunting ex place ten additional submarines on the has been heard. Water right records
Pacific coast next was considered fav-
pedition is ended.
are necessarily m on complicated than
land records, and the applicant, or
Unless the b eef trust magnates who
These submarines will be one o f the
rather those which have appeared at
have been indicted in New Jersey sur
fastest yet launched, and will be cap
the office, seem to think the cost does
render peaceably they w ill be extradit
able o f making a speed under water of
not exceed the benefits.
Sixty-tw o o f
ed and the trust dissolved.
12 knots an hour.
the 464 applications have been can
Great arrangements are being made
A member o f the committee said
celed from the records and the water i»
fo r Roosevelt’s reception in Rome. that the government had unofficial in
subject to reappropriation.
The pope will grant him an audience formation to the effect that Japan is
"T h e water code makes no annual
and the king will give a dinner in his laying the keels o f two great battle-
charge for the use o f water for ‘ power
honor.
Parts of tbe World.
PREPARED FOR THE BUSY READER
SS. IT S fL 'tJ S -r
great
battleship under consideration ? r
0 a Perl
0 .
t£T2T
* 8 •
would
a great extent UDon J««* to a preference
right o f renewal
would deDend
depend to
to a great extent upon
jBWi then existing.
, It
the weight of the batteries of the huge ,
. .
-
, ... _
14-inch guns, which would
be placid
.VI.
P*
Charles E. Morgan, ex-governor o f
AVALANCHE BURIES 76.
Cuba, says that if the Monroe doc
trine means anything the United
States must see that tbe smaller gov Town o f Mace, Idaho, Said to Be
Scene o f Desaster.
ernments on the Western hemisphere
are.properly conducted.
Spokane, Wash., Feb. 28.— W ith a
A member o f the I. W. W. arrested roar that could be heard in Wallace,
in the recent disturbances in Spokane, five miles distant, an avalanche over
whelmed the town o f Mace, Idaho, last
has been found guilty o f conspiring.
With tbe strict injunction that he "'BhL a n d J5 people are believed to be
buried under tons o f snow and debris.
was not to be represented as favor
______________t
Telephone
messages ____
from _____________
Wallace say
ing votes for women, President Taft
that the slide occurred at 11 :30 o ’ clock.
accepted an invitation to address the
Rescue parties started at once from
opening session o f the annual conven
Wallace to the scene o f the disaster.
tion o f the Woman Suffrage associa
A special relief train was also started
tion, to be held in Washington, April
out from Spokane.
14.
Because o f the deep snow and block
A Canadian Pacific train was derail aded condition o f the road from W al
ed on the brink o f a 200-foot precipice, lace to Mace, no details o f the catas
and only prevented from plunging over trophe have yet been received.
by a retaining wall.
Heavy snow has been falling in
“ Little Billy” McClintock, 6 years Northern Idaho during the past week,
old, o f Chicago, and heir to $6,OOO. and with the thaw which began yester
OOO, will be asked to choose his own day conditions were favorable for just
such a disaster which has overwhelmed
guardian.
the little town.
The German government
refuses
moral or financial support to American
Walla Walla, Wash., Feb. 28.— A
exhibitors o f machinery at the coming
special dispatch at 3 a. m. says that
exhibition at Berlin next summer.
five hundred rescuers have taken out
Great Britain will give refuge to the seven dead bodiea while 26 men, wo
depoeed Dalai Lama, o f Tibet, at Cal men and children were taken from the
cutta, and has asked the Chinese gov slide alive, that occurred at Mace last
ernment for full explanation o f the night. It is known that 100 additional
affair.
are dead.
The slide is half a mile long and 30
Six persons were killed in a snow-
slide in the Bitter Root mountains in feet deep. The first train bearing the
25 injured left Mace for Wallace at
Montana.
2:25 a. m.
A hotel at Haxelton, B. C., burned
Additional rescuers are being sent to
while the thermometer was at 16 de the scene on a train now being made
grees below zero. Many o f the occu up here.
pants were forced to leap from upper
windows clad only in their night cloth
“ C orp se" C om es to Life.
ing.
Brookville, Ind., Feb. 28.— Popular
New Jersey grand jury will return misconception o f the coroner’ s law
at least 16 indictments against pack nearly permitted the body o f Miss
ing houses for storing food products Olive Sanders to be frozen in a snow
contrary to law.
bank today.
Miss Sanders’ sister
missed Olive from the house and found
The czar o f Russia would build a
her, seemingly dead, lying in the snow
new trans-Mongolian railway in pre
in the barnyard. It took two hours to
ference to neutralizing the present
get the coroner, and the body lay
line.
where it was found.
He “ view ed”
A Cambridge, Mass., bank book the body and it was carried into the
keeper who received $12 per week sal house. The undertaker was called to
ary is accused o f embezzling $144,000. prepare it for burial. A t this stage
Rioters in Philadelphia street car Miss Sanders revived.
strike snatch guns from soldiers.
‘ houldkn° t
co" ,usf d w ,th *
law which provides for an annual tax
o f 26 cents to $2 upon each horsepower
developed. But little complaint as to
the excessive amount o f these fees has
been heard from the small appropriator
who intends to apply the power to his
own use.
It is different however,
with the large appropriator and its re
tarding influence is reflected in the
small number o f such filings made un-
der this law. Only a few o f the small
appropriators have paid the tax in re-
eponse to notices sent out prior to Jan-
o
uar7
“ Forty-nine petitions for the deter
mination o f water rights on varions
streams o f the state have been filed
with the board o f
control.
This
board is composed of the state engin
eer and the division superintendent o f
each o f the two divisions into which
the state is divided.
Surveys have
been completed and testimony taken
on nine o f these streams.
A ll irrigat
ed lands, power plants, ditches, etc.,
along 11 other streams have been lo
cated and mapped during the past sea
son by the state engineer.
In all,
57,500 acres o f irrigated land have
been accurately measured and mapped,
at a coat o f 7 >4 cents per acre.
“ The most important o f these
streams are the Umatilla river and all
its tributaries. Crooked river, Squaw
creek and Tumalo creek, in Crook
county, W illow creek in Morro county,
and W illow creek in Malheur county,
also Little Butte creek in Jackson
county.
The popularity o f the law
with respect to the adjudication o f old
rights has far exceeded the expectation
o f the legislature, as the appropriation
for the state engineer’ s office is so lim-
¡ted that surveys cannot keep pace
with demands,
“ No right to the use o f water can
be acquired except by application to,
and the issuance o f a permit, by the
state engineer. Th* records as sum
marized above and the experience o f
this office during the ten months of
1909 during which the water code has
been in effect, leads to the conclusion
that this law is entirely satisfactory to
the prospective investor and settler.
It has already stimulated the develop
ment o f the state through irrigation.
Power filings and doubtless power de
velopment has been somewhat retarded
by the annual tax provided for in a
separate law. Complaints as to this
feature should not be directed against
the water code.” _______
Em peror Ignores Petitioner.
An earthquake shock, causing dishes
St. Petersburg, Feb. 28.— Emperor
and windows to rattle violently, was
Nicholas left Tsarskoe-Selo palace to
felt in Watertown, N. Y.
day and drove into St. Petersburg,
The Ministerial association o f V ic where he called upon K ing Ferdinand
The emperor, as usual
toria, B. C., has joined the Central o f Bulgaria.
occupied an open carriage and was
Trades and Labor council.
While passing
A special committee is investigating without an escort.
through the Nevsky Prospect the car
charges that the university o f Wiscon
riage was halted by the presence o f a
sin is teaching socialism.
man clothed as a peasant, who knelt in
The Baltimore A [Ohio railroad re its path and held the petition above his
fused the demands o f employee for in head. The footman made a detour to
creased wages and a big strike is I avoid the man, who subsequently was
taken to the police station.
likely.
4 4 4 A cres in Dufur Bring. SSO.OOO.
Dufur— One o f the largest real es
tate deals ever made in W asco county
was completed this week when 444
acres in the heart o f the Dufur valley
was sold by W . T. Vanderpool to Mel
vin Sigraan.
The consideration was
$30,000. Alm ost all this land is bot
tom land, the greater portion o f it be
ing in timothy, the rest o f it is pasture
and wheat land.
The tract includes
what is known as the old Lou Hender
son donation claim o f 200 sexes, one of
the oldest settled tracts in the stats of
Oregon.
“ Swiftwater Bill” Gates, a noted
Blue Book Names Picked.
Alaska mining man, is broke in Lon
Chicago, Feb. 28.— A man who had
don, after failure to sell his mining prepared from Chicago’ s “ bluebook” a
stocks there.
long list o f wealthy people from
The pattern storehouse o f the Minne- whom, the pol.ee assert, he intended to
qua plant o f the Colorado Fuel ft Iron ixtort money, was arrested tonight af
company at Pueblo was destroyed by ter he had held up and robbed Dr. B.
H. Chamberlain.
Later the robber
Are. Loss $1,000,000.
was identified as Edwin English.
In
President Taft refuses to intercede his possession were found a burglar’ s
fo r a New York political leader threat kit and letters addressed to wealthy
One letter
demanded
ened by the investigation o f alleged Chicagoans.
$3,700 from Dr. D. K . Pearsons.
crookedness in state administrtion.
T o Pipe Water in Farming Section
Hood River— The Hood River Farm
er's Irrigating company will hold a
, lectton
5 to consider
t^ m, tu,r o f piping
pipin|r their irrigating
system through the farming section of
the valley.
The election has been
called by 74 o f the atockhoders who
signed a petition asking for the meet
ing. It is known that tbe majority of
the present board o f directors are not
in favor o f piping the system a t this
time on account o f the expense.
O w ing to a strike o f 20,000 sugar
Butte Strike May S oon End.
cane cutters at Guadeloupe, tbe entire
Butte, Mont., Feb. 28.— A settle
sugar crop o f the island may be lost.
Several cane fields have been set en ment o f the strike o f mine engineers
is expected soon. Mat Commerford,
Are.
president o f the International Steam
The British A ero club has sent a Engineers’ union, tonight stated that
challenge to the Aero club of America he had submitted a proposition to end
for a contest for the Gordon Bennett the trouble to the officials o f the Butte
aviation cup and the Gordon Bennett Miners union, which proposition he ex
balloon cup.
ported they would accept.]
T o Investigate O regon Electric.
Salem—The railroad commission op-
on its own motion has ordered an in
vestigation into passenger accommoda
tions furnished patrons by the Oregon
Electric Railway company.
The in
vestigation will include both car con
veniences and depot accommodations
such as are required o f other railroads
operating in Oregon.
____
j
tru st
in d ic t e d .
New Jersey Grand Jury Calls
On Great Combine.
Newsy Item s Gathered from All
A boyhood friend o f Carnegie called
on tbe steel king and had a long visit
with him, but when he intimated that
he was having a hard struggle to make
a living he received only some good
pamphlets on economy.
BEEF
b g
developm ent sch e m e
.
Company Applies for Blanket Fran
chise in Tw o Counties.
Medford— It is reported that the
American Development company has
applied for a blanket franchise for a
trolley line over all the roads o f Jack-
son and Josephine counties. A certain
degree o f mystery surrounds the com
pany in that those whose names appear
on the articles o f incorporation recent
ly filed, refuse to divulge the identity
o f their associates who are supposed to
be furnishing the financial backing.
As yet the principal work o f the cor
poration, it appears, has been to se
cure water rights on the Rogue river
in the vicinity o f Sam’s valley, about
16 miles north of Medford, in Jackson
county, and to close contracts for
16,000 acres o f land to be included in
an extensive irrigation project, the
water supply for which is to be ob
tained from Rogue river.
From various sources it has been as-
certa in «! that the contracts for lands
covering an area o f 16,000 acres have
been secured quietly during the past
several months, and that water rights
on the Rogue river have also been ob
tained to insure a sufficient quantity o f
water for the irrigation o f orchards,
it being ostensibly the intention to
provide fo r the irrigation o f the land
and its promotion on the market in
small tracts.
The land in the vicinity o f Sam’ s
valley and Eagle Point is a veritable
desert, but once irrigated, it is said,
it would become most productive, and
as the Rogue river has a strong flow
o f water with a good fall, it is believ
ed by those having observed the con
tour o f the land that irrigation is feas
ible.
The ob ject of securing franchises to
build railways on county roads, is tak
en to be part of the scheme for placing
the land within easy reach, if placed
under water and thrown on the mar
ket.
_________
Gold Strike in Lake County.
Lakeview — T. A. Crump, a rancher
living near Adel, Warner valley. Lake
county, got the mining fever some
time ago and went prospecting in the
Windy Hollow mining district. Coyote
hills, in the same county, and his
efforts were rewarded last week by
striking a vein o f ore carrying good
values. Tbe exact amount o f the assay
could not be learned, but it seemed
sufficiently good to inspire some o f his
friends to rush to the district and stake
out claims in tbe vicinity o f the one on
which the strike was made.
Lakeside Creamery Will Be Improved
Marshfield— Green ft Foster, o f San
Francisco, have purchased the Lake-
side creamery. The firm owns about
25 similar plants along the co a st The
new management has agreed to thor
oughly equip tbe plant. They have
plans laid to make it the finest cream
ery on the coast.
The new machinery
will cost about $6,000.
Besides this
equipment the company has two milk
boats, which have been put in first
class condition for collecting the milk.
Halt
New York, Feb. 26.— The “ beef
trust” o f the United States, embrac
ing six great companies and 21 pack
ers, several o f them multimillionaires,
was Indicted by a grand jury in Hud
son county. New Jersey, today, charg
ed with conspiracy in lim iting the sup
ply o f meat and poultry.
Tbe indictments drawn under the law
o f New Jersey, which provides upon
conviction, a maximum penalty o f
three years in the penitentiary, a $1,-
000 fine or both. The offense ia extra
ditable, which means practically that
the meat barons must successfully re
sist extradition or come to Jersey City
for trial.
Pierce Garvin, public prosecutor of
Hudson county, said tonight that he
would forthwith notify the defendants
o f their indictment and would be ready
to enforce extradition in each case
where ^he individual concerned is not
w illing to face trial. Tbe defendants
fo ljo w :
,, ,
Tbe National Packing company,
Armour & Co., Sw ift & Co., Morris
A Co., Hammond Packing company,
G. H. Hammond & Co., J. Ogden A r
mour, A. Watson Armour, Louis F.
Sw ift, Edward'F. Sw ift, Charles H.
Sw ift, Edward Morris, Ira N. Morris!
Arthur Meeker. Edward Tilden, L. A
Carter, Thomas E. E. Wilson, Thomas
j , Conners, F. A. Fowler, L. H. Hey-
man, James E. Bathgate, J r., George
J. Edwards, Fredrick B. Cooper, D. E.
Hartell, Henry B. Darlington. A . A.
Fuller, L. C. Patterson.
Ira N. Morris sent a lawyer to Jer
sey City this week from Chicago to
inform Prosecutor Garven that he had
retired from the directorate o f Morris
& Co., but nevertheless he was in
dicted.
Cooper is the New Jersey manager
for S w ift ft C o .; Bathgate, Edwards,
Bartwall, Darlington and Fuller are said
to be officers and Eastern agents o f the
National Packing company, while other
named are directors or officers or form
er directors or officers o f the National
Packing company. Capiases for the
arrest o f all the defendants will be is
sued immediately and the grand jury
will resume its investigation next
Wednesday.
A S B E S T O S COMBINE ON.
New Trust
Will Be Capitalized
S 6 , OOO.OOO.
at
Denver, Feb. 26.— The Times today
sa ys: Deals are now being organized
in Denver which will probably result
in tbe formation o f a trust that will
control 90 per cent o f the asbestos out
put o f the world.
Officers and representatives o f the
International Asbestos company, the
National Asbestos company, the W y
oming Consolidated Asbestos company
and the United States Asbestos Mining
ft Fiberizing company are here to con
fer with the representatives o f English
and California capitalists regarding
the sale o f their properties to new in
terests.
Representatives o f the Amalgamat
ed Asbestos ccorporation, a Canadian
company, recently launched, which has
obtained control o f about 90 per cent
o f the asbestos output o f Canada, are
now investigating the properties o f
the companies represented at the Den
ver conference and the consummation
o f the first deal will likely be followed
by the absorption of these companies
by the big Canadian corporation.
The new Interests are said to have
offered $1,100,000 for the control o f
the W yoming asbestos deposits.
Big Price fo r Apple Land.
Hood River— The Eaton ranch on
the East side has been purchased by J.
H. Day, o f Portland, for $30,000. This
is one o f the best orchards in the val
ley, having been planted by B. E. Dun
can and later sold to Wyman and
Catch is 3 0 0 ,0 0 0 Pounds.
George Eaton. It consists o f a frac
tion over 21 acres and is in apple trees
Vancouver, B. C., Feb. 26.— The
ranging from four to eight years old.
halibut fishing steamer Kingfisher,
belonging to the fleeet o f the New
England Fish company, an American
2 2 3 Acres Bring S 3 I.6 0 0 .
Hood River— E. Brong o f Portland, concern, is due to arrive here Friday
has closed a deal through B. E. Dun with 300,000 pounds o f fish, 200,000 o f
can ft Co., o f Hood River for 223 acres which she caught in two and a half
uf fine orchard land two miles east o f days. Her whole time for the trip
The
Mosier. The price paid was $31,000. w ilfb e but nine and a half days.
One hundred acres are improved. The Kingfisher’ s total cargo will be 400,000
tract formerly belonged to George Sel- pounds, which includes weight fo r ice
and boxes in which some o f the fish
linger.
are packed.
PORTLAND M ARKETS.
Wheat—Track prices — Bluestem,
$1.13(3 1.13 >« ; club, $1.06; red Rus
sian, $1.04; valley, $1.06; 40-fold,
$ 1 . 10 .
Com — Whole, $35; cracked, $36 ton.
Oats— No. 1 white, $31.60 per ton.
Hay— Track prices— Timothy, W il
lamette valley, $20(n21 per ton; East
ern Oregon, $22(323; alfalfa, $17®
18; California alfalfa, $16(317; clo
ver, $15(n 16; grain hay, $16(318.
Freeh Fruits— Apples. $1.25(33 box;
pears, $1.60(31.75; cranberries, $8<>i,9
per barrel.
Potatoes—Carload buying prices—
Oregon, 70(fi>75c per sack ; sweet po
tatoes, 2 \ ® 3e per pound.
Vegetables— Cabbage, $1.50(32 per
hundred; turnips, $1.26 per sack; ruta
bagas, $1(31.25; carrots, $1; beets,
$1.25; parsnips, $1.
Butter— City creamery extras, 87®
39c; fancy outaide creamery, 35(3 39c;
store, 20(32314c per pound.
Butter
fat prices average l>%e per pound un
der regular butter prices.
Eggs— Fresh Oregon ranch, 27
28c per dozen.
C h eese-F u ll cream twins, 19(ri20c
per pound, young Americans, 20®21e.
Pork—Fancy, 12(312 % c per pound.
Veal— Fancy, 12(312 S c per pound.
Poultry— Hens, 1 7 S (3 1 8 e ; springs,
1 7 S @ 1 8 c; ducks, 20<a22e; geese, 13
(314c;
turkeya.
live,
2 f 2(324c;
dressed, 26(3 2 9 c; squabs, $3 per dozen.
Hops— 1909 crop, prime and choice,
20(0 2 2 c: 1908s, 1 7 H e; 1907s, 11.S c
per pound.
Wool— Eastern
Oregon,
16(3 23c
pound; mohair, choice, 25c.
Cascara bark— 4 S (3 6 c per pound.
Hides- Dry hides, 18(318 S * per
pound; dry kip, 18(318S c pound; dry
calfskin« 19i/21e; salted bides, 10(3
10S e ; salted calfskin, 15c pound;
green, lc less.
Cattle— Best steers.
$5.503(5.78;
fair to good steers, $4.50(36; strictly
good cows. $4.60(34.76; fair to good
$3.75(34; light calves. $5.50(36
heavy calves, $4(3 5 ; bulla, $3.60(3
3.75; stags, $3(34.
Hogs -T op, $9(</9.25; fair to good
bogs. $8.60,18.76.
Sheep— Beat wethers, $6(36.25; ftiir
to good wethers,
$5(«i5.60;
good
ewes, $6; lambs, $ 6® 6.60.
Washington, Feb. 26. -I n uccoYdiMice
with recommendations by the senate
committee on finance, the bill provid
ing for the issuance o f $30,1100,000 of
certificates o f indebtedness for the ben
efit o f the reclamation sreviqe will be
amended so as to make the governnient
directly responsible for the payment of
the certificates. As the bill bow stands
the certificates are made payable from
the reclamation fund.
The proposed amendment will auth
orize the secretary o f th* treasury to
transfer from time to time from the
general fund to the reclamation fund
such amounts as may be necessary to
complete the projects, providing the
aggregate shall not exceed $30,000,000.
He is authorized to issue certificates
not to carry more than three per cent
interest to reimburse the treasury for
advances made. The funds thus ob
tained are to be used fo r the comple
tion o f projects already begun.
Ultimately the government is to be
reimbursed from the reclamation fund
at the rate o f 50 per cent o f the re
ceipts o f the fund.
A fter a conference today with Dr.
W . T. Hornaday, director o f the New
York zoo, the senate com mittee on
conservation o f natural resources, o f
which-Dixon, o f Montana, is chairman,
decided to represent to the department
o f commerce and labor the undesirabil
ity o f renewing the present lease for
the slaughter o f Beals in Alaskan wa
ters, which expires next April.
According to Dr. Hornaday, the
seal herd has been reduced from 4,-
000,000 to 50,000 in a comparatively
b rief period. He expressed the opin
ion that a renewal o f the lease would
amount to the practical extermination
o f the herd.
He recommended a
closed season for ten years.
Washington, Feb. 25.— Representa
tive Claude Kitchin o f North Carolina,
made a general assault on the tariff
law under license pf general debate on
the postoffice appropriation bdl in the
house today.
Telling a number o f stories o f starv
ing children and o f working men ap
pealing fur work in the large cities,
Kitchin concluded each tale with the
statem ent:
“ And all this under the Aldrich-
Payne bill, which no one on the Repub
lican Bide has the courage to defend.”
The administration bill to create a
court o f commerce and amend the inter
state commerce laws was ordered fav
orably reported today by the senate
committee on interstate commerce,
which will recommend its passage
practically in the form recently revis
ed by Attorney General Wickersham.
The attitude o f the house committee
in regard to the bill is giving tbe pres
ident concern and today he sent for
som e Republican members o f the com
mittee and urged them to do every
thing possible to expedite its passage,
even if it should be necessary to
amend it, so long as the general pur
poses o f the act were carried out.
The senate today passed Represent
ative E llis’ bill authorizing the Oregon
Trunk line to build a bridge across the
Columbia river and the Celilo canal, to
connect with the North Bank road at
a point opposite the mouth o f the Des
chutes river. ThiB bill now lacks only
the signature o f the president to make
it law.
Tbe secretary o f the interior has
decided to report favorably upon tbe
Bourne bill amending the enlarged
homestead act so as to permit patents
to issue in Oregon upon proof o f pro
duction and cultivation instead o f re
quiring residence.
Washington, Feb. 24.— Representa
tive Hawley announced today that the
hearings on the Lafean apple packing
bill would begin before the house com
mittee on agriculture on March 9. and
continue long enough to enable all w it
nesses to be heard.
He has notified
horticultural societies in Oregon in or
der that they may send representatives
to Washington to appear before the
| committee.
A bill was introduced today in the
house by representative Hawley, o f
Warning from G om pers.
Washington, Feb. 26.— Samuel Gom Oregon, providing for the opening and
pers, president o f the American Feder settlement o f the Klamath Indian res
ation o f Labor, told Attorney General ervation o f Oregon.
The bill provides for the surveying
Wickersham today that if the present
American workers’ movement, which o f the reservation and allotment to the
he said is constructive and conserva Indians within a year, the government
tive in character, is outlawed and to have use o f some o f the land for
crushed out o f existence by unfavora demonstration farms.
A graphic picture o f Alaska, with
ble legislation and court decisions, it
will be followed by another movement her millions in gold lying hidden be
that w ill scarcely be constructive. For neath hundreds o f feet o f frozen earth,
tw o hours Mr. Gompers and Mr. W ick was drawn by Delegate James W lcker-
ersham discussed legislation affecting sham today in a statement be 'ore the
house committee on territories, in sup-
labor.
I port o f a bill for the revision o f Alas
kan mining laws.
Seine May Sava Vessel.
I f a resolution introduced today by
Seattle, Feb. 26.— An’ expedition has I Senator Heyturn is adopted, the senate
been organized by an expert diver to will take up what is known among po
raise the steamer Islander, sunk ten lice officials as tbe “ third degree.”
years ago in 320 fathoms o f water near , !T be resolution provides for appoint
Juneau, Alaska, when bound for Seat- ‘ ment o f a select com m ittee o f three to
tie with $2,000,000 o f Klondike gold in investigate the practice o f administer
her strong box. The situation o f the ing what is known as the “ third de-
steamer is known, but the depth o f ' i gree” ordeal by the officers o f tbe law
water haa forbidden salvage.
The 1 for the purpose o f extorting state
plan proposed is to lift the vessel with ments and confessions
from those
a huge metal seine. The vessel would charged with crime.
be picked up by the seine and would
not bn a heavy load until she was so
Nominations Withdrawn.
near the top that chains could be used.
Washington, Feb. 24. — President
T a ft today ordered the withdrawal o f
Bethlehem W orks C lose.
his nominations recently sent to the
Bethlehem, Pa., Feb. 26. — The
senate for positions on the court o f
Bethlehem Steel company closed to- I
I customs appeals. X t the White House
night and it is said will remain closed i
it was said that the president assigned
until the police are able to give protec- [
as his reason for the withdrawals.tbat
tion to the men who remain loyal to j
he did not believe it to be fair to the
the company. This step was taken be
men nominated to ask them to serve
cause o f serious rioting early this
for the $7,000 a year voted by con
morning, when 500 foreigners attacked
gress, when they had expected a salary
employes as they were going to work. o f $10,000 a year. Am ong the names
The rioters made a second attack to withdrawn were James F. Smith and
night when the men were leaving the ,
Marion Devries, o f Galifom ia.
plenL Nine thoussnd men are idle.
V
D eclares fo r General Strike.
Philadelphia, Pa., Feb. 26.— Follow
ing the publication o f a statement al
leged to have been made todav by John
J. Murphy, president o f the Central
Labor union, a warrant was iasued for
his arreeL It is said that Murphy de
clared “ a general strike should be
called immediately. I think it is in
evitable. There are men in the North
east wbo can shoot aa straight as any
trooper that ever drew a breath.”
Alaskan Bill Killed.
Washington, Feb. 24.— The bitter
fight that has been made has resulted
in killing the bill by Senator Bever
idge for an appointive legislative coun
cil for Alaska. The fight was on the
allegation that the bill was in the in
terest o f the Guggenheims. T It is as
serted that R o o fs amendment to the
postal savings bank bill cannot pass,
opposition by Borah snd others having
succeeded in defeating it.
The bill
will pass without the Root proviso.
Mr. Hey burn asserted that such
methods were more cruel than those o f
th* Inquisition. They were not only
barbarous, he said, but were in direct
conflict with American . court instruc
tions under which an officer is prohib
ited from talking with his prisoner on
the subject o f tbe charge against him.
Washington, Feb. 23.— Senator War
ren today introduced a bill authorizing
the secretary of the interior to sell sur
plus water o f the government reclama
tion projects to individuals, corpora
tions or associations operating under
the Carey act and authorizing the sec
retary to co-operate with persons, cor-
porat ons, irrigating districts or Carey
act associations in the construction o f
contemplated reservoirs, which will
impound the water in excess o f tbe
needs o f pubic lands within the pro
posed irrigation project.
Senators who have been heretofore
unfriendly to the bill to raise addi
tional money to hasten completion o f
government irrigation projects are
now suggesting that the bill be amend
ed to authorize $50.000,000 instead of
$30,000,000 worth o f certificates o f in
debtedness. Commenting on this new
situation Senator Borah Baid:
“ Of
course we would like to have $50,OOO.
OOO, and if we find we can get it, we
will take up this new proposal, but the
thing that is disturbing friends o f the
measure now is whether or not this
proposed raise may not have the effect
o f killing the bill after it gets to th*
house. We do not know what we
will do regarding this proposition until
the situation can be canvassed in the
house.”
The senate commerce committee has
adopted amendments to the river and
harbor bill as fo llo w s : Siuslaw river,
$218,000, conditioned upon co-opera
tion by the Port o f Siuslaw; Coquille
river, increase from $27,840 to $50,000
and $6,000 annually for maintenance;
Clatskame river, increase from $600 to
$5 ,000
Survey o f the Oregon slough
in the Columbia opposite Vancouver, is
also ordered.
Washington, Feb. 22.— Representa
tive Hawley today introduced a bill au
thorizing the opening o f the surplus
lands in Klamath reservation after the
completion o f allotments to Klamath
and Modoc Indians.
As soon as the
| allotments are completed, a commis
sion consisting o f one resident o f Ore
gon, one representative o f the Interior
department and one member o f the
Klamath tribe are to be appointed at
$10 a day to classify and appraise the
surplus lands, dividing them into agri
cultural. timber, grazing and mineral
lands, the classification to be complet
ed in eight months.
The bouse naval com mittee today
voted a tentative approval o f Secretary
Meyer’ s plan o f reorganization, which
will give the secretary tbe power to
put his plan into practice for one year.
Several hours again were devoted by
the senate com mittee on interstate
commerce today to listening to Attor
ney General Wickersham expound his
views concerning amendments to the
interstate commerce law.
It had been expected that he would
complete his explanation o f the ad
ministration railroad bill today in time
to permit a report to the senate.
Members o f the committee were so
much interested in what he had to say
that they invited him to come back to
morrow. It is expected that the bill
will be reported late in the week.
In the opinion o f Chairman Knapp,
ot the Interstate Commerce commis
sion snd o f his associate* on that body,
domestic freights are freer from unjust
discrimination and more satisfactory
in general than they ever were before.
Washington, Feb. 21.— Senator Aid-
rich said today that if permitted to do
so he would undertake to run the gov
ernment o f the United States for
$300,000,000 a year less than it now
costs.
He was not presenting a formal pro
posal. but was making a speech in the
Senate on the question o f creating a
commission to reform the business
methods o f the government.
He said the methods were obsolete
and involved the annual loss o f at least
$100,000,000. At his instance the bill
was so amended as to provide that
the commission should be composed en
tirely o f members o f congress— five
senators and five representatives.
Mr. Aldrich spoke in reply to Sena
tor Dolliver, who opposed the bill on
the ground that it would create suspi
cion in the minds o f the public as to the
methods o f conducting the govern
ment’ s business.
Mr. Dolliver said he feared the com
• mission would accomplish no good, but
much evil. He regarded the bill as a
proposal to enter upon a “ blanket dis
paragement o f the governm enL” He
declared the commission wolud cost not
less than $300,000., and be said he
thought there were too many commit
tees already.
The administration ship subsidy bill
reached the house today through the
filing o f the report o f th* committee on
merchant marine and fisheries, which
had favorably acted upon it.
The minority was granted ten days
in which to report against the bill.
Jetty Fund Seem s Sure.
Washington,
Feb.
23. — Senator
Jones is confident an amendment will
be made to the river and harbor bill
by the senate committee making an
appropriation for continuing the exten
sion o f the jetty at th* entrance to
Grays Harbor. A report from the local
United States engineer recommending
this appropriation was received by th*
War department today, and will be
transmitted promptly to congress. Sen
ator Jones says sufficient appropriation
will be made to keep the work going
throughout next year.
Jones D rops Whitman Fight.
Washington, Feb. 23.— The original
Jones bill, proposing to transfer the
Walla Walla military reservation to
Whitman college has been abandoned,
the military committee being unwil
ling to report it. In its stead. Sena
tor Jonas is now asking the committee
to fix the price on lands o f this reser
vation and authorise the sale to Whit
man college, at a price which they de
termine to be reasonable. This prepo
sition is up to tbe W ar departmenL