Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927 | View Entire Issue (March 30, 1915)
VOL. 27 (THE HOME PAPER) DALLAS, FOLK COUNTY, OREGON, TUESDAY, MARCH SO, 1915. (TWICE-A-WEEK) NO. 8 DEATH OF BENJ, SMITH DECEASED WAS ONE OF POLK'S EARLIEST PIONEERS. Crossing Plains From Mossonri With Parents, He Settled New Lew isville in 1846. Benjamin F. Smith, a pioneer of Polk county, and one of its most re spected citizens, departed this life at his home near Lewisville, last Friday, and the funeral services were held from the family residence, conducted by the Rev. Bowersox. Although a puhlic spirited man, Mr. Smith led the life of a quiet and industrious farmer. His chief inter est was centered in his home life and his large farm, which is rated one of the best in Polk county. The only public office ever held by him was that of Justice of the Peace, a position which he filled with credit for many years. He had also served as a director of the Independence Na tional bank since the organization of that institution. Mr. Smith was a kindly, compan ionable man and his home was the center of open-handed hospitality in his neighborhood. He will be missed by a wide circle of friends and ac quaintances, who had long recognized in him a good neighbor and a useful citizen. Benjamin F. Smith was born May 8, 1840, in Cedar County, Missouri, and crossed the plains by ox team with his parents in 184(3, settling on the farm now owned by F. M. Smith near Lewisville, where he spent his early life. In the year 18C4 he was united in marriage to Rachael M. Burns, daughter of Wm, Burns, an early pioneer, and removed to the present home, where he has resided continuously ever since. About one year and a half ago he was stricken with paralysis, which terminated in his death. He leaves to mourn his loss a widow and two children, W W. Smith of Dallas and Mary Le Veck of Lewisville. Three brothers, J. D. Smith of Dallas, G. W. Smith of Lebanon, and F. M. Smith of Dal las,, and two sisters, Mrs. H. C. Mc- Timmonds of Lebanon and Miss Ra chael Smith of Dallas, also are afflict ed by his demise. THE SURRENDER OF GEN. LEE Exercises in Commemoration of His toric Event to be Held April 9. The fiftieth anniversary of Lee's surrender, which occurs on April 9, will be appropriately observed by U. . S. Grant post, Grand Army of the Re public, at the armory, for which a program has been prepared by the committee in charge of the affair. The exercises will open with "America" by the audience, followed by prayer by Rev. C. C. Curtis and a selection by the Teachers 'quartet. An address will be delivered, but the orator of the day has not yet been decided upon. The high school chorus will render "The Old Guard" and "The Star Spangled Banner," the audience join ing in the latter. All ex-soldiers and sailors are invit ed by the post to attend and partici pate in the exercises, as is also the general public. The veterans are holding the service of commemoration in compliance with an order from headquarters, and hope and trust that there will be a liberal attendance, es pecially by the children of the com munity. HAS STRONG ENDORSEMENT. Eoscoe C. Stoats Would Have Inde pendence Postmastership. Roscoe C. Staats, who was born and raised in the vicinity of Independence, is a candidate for the postoffiee, which will be vacant on or about November 1 of this year. Mr. Staats is a de fendant from a long line of illustrous ancestors who were democrats all their lives, and following their exam ple, Mr. Staats is also a democrat. Practically the entire democratic or ganization here is behind Mr. Staats for the appointment. For four years he was in the service of the govern ment as railway mail clerk. ,Mr. Staats is 32 years of age, married and has a family. The business men there have endorsed him as well as the young men's democratic club of Polk county. TEACHING THE YOUNG IDEA. Babcock Testing Taught By School Supervisor of Lincoln County. J. E. Davis, a rural school super visor of Lincoln county, Oregon, car ries a Babcock tester with him and teaches the girls and boys how to test milk and thus weed out unprofit able cows. His services in this alone are of very great value to the people of that county, since a very large portion of most dairy herds hardly pay for their keep. Mr. Davis is also engaged in an at tempt to find some means of increas ing the number of cows per acre of cultivated land. His main reliance, according to Professor F. L. Griffin, state agent of industrial club work for the Agricultural college, is the growing of corn and use of corn si lage. To succeed in this he must have a good supply of acclimated seed corn, which he is working now to provide, It is said that good silage corn can be grown in Lincoln county and that with a good but inexpensive silo on every dairy farm dairy dairy produc tion would be doubled. . In addition to demonstrating the possibility of profitable corn-growin; the girls and boys' of the clubs are getting the best kind of an agricul tural education and at the same time earning some money for themselves. Good seed corn of the right variety ond type sells for about five dollars per bushel. TAX COLLECTOR IS BUSY. First Half of Annual Contribution Must Be Liquidated Tomorrow. County Treasurer Holman's office is a busy place. The date for liqui dating the first half of taxes draws on apace, tomorrow being the last day, and many are hustling to the cap tain's office prepared to pay in part, if not in full. It has been necessary to secure additional clerical assistance to meet the demand. John Richter, who had contemplated going to Al bany ere this, has been induced by Mr, Holman to tarry temporarily to aid in the treasurer's office. He is familiar with this work, and consequently is able to get away with it in the most approved style of the art. The final rush will come tomorrow, after which date, if the first half has not been paid, taxes will be subject to interest at the rate of one cent per month until August 31, when they be come delinquent and subject to a ten per cent penalty and twelve per cent per annum interest. Persons making half payments by March 31 should noc proffer second half payments until af ter May 22, as the old tax law will not be superceded until that date and interest must be collected under its terms until May 22. Taxpayers can make payments only in half or full amounts. SNOW IN CASCADES IS LOW. Flood Danger in Willamette Valley Not Likely This Year. That there is little danger of floods in the Willamette valley this year is indicated by the fact that there is less snow in the mountains now than at this season for many years. What snow fell last winter has been going out early and also gradually. Unless there should come an unusu ally cold period before summer, in which snow should fall in the moun tains, there is no likelihood whatever of high water in the Willamette and its tributaries this spring. A heavy warm rain this time of year usually makes a flood probable, but there is said to be no danger this year. May Reduce Picking Price. If the hopgrowers in this vicinity maintain the same attitude when it comes time for harvesting that many do at present, hoppiekers will receive from thirty to thirty-five cents per box this season instead of the regular wage of fifty cents. This is only one of the changes in hopyard custom which are being contemplated by the growers in Marion and Polk counties. Lower wages, cleaner hops and short er picking hours will undoubtedly be inaugurated this summer. Oregon Messenger. Weighing the Mails. Beginning next Thursday the Dal las postoffiee will begin the weighing of all parcel post packages sent out from this city, and counting the rural mail. The last named routine will continue for thirty days, and the first named for 15 days. Both outgoing and incoming mail will be counted and weighed. The counting and weighing is held twice each year, and from the data collected railroad rates for haul ing of the mail regulated. Percheron Stallion Sold. Mr. D. F. Burge has sold his Per cheron stallion, Univers, to J. B. Par- ria of Cowlitz county, Washington, and the animal will be shipped to that point today. The consideration was $2000. Mr. Burge will replace the horse with one just purchased from Madison & Wheeler of Spring field, Illinois, which animal will arrive here during the present week. ! Community There is a tendency throughout the country to carry community building into the schools, and nowhere is better success being attended from this ef fort than at Dayton, Ohio, an ac count of which is given by an ex change. A history of the city has been written for use in the eighth grade of the schools there, and this is designed to inspire young people with true con ceptions of civic pride and the need of city building in the most acceptable way. In this connection, portions of an address by the chairman of the Greater Dayton association presents ideas that should prove profitable to people of every town and city truly interested in its general betterment. He said : "And so we formed the Greater Dayton association, and the ideal of the Greater Dayton association is not greatness, it is not bigness, it is not industries. The ideal of the Greater Dayton association is service, and the ideal of the Greater Dayton associa tion is true community welfare. Back of every great forward movement there must be the force of some ideal, and back of the force of our move ment was that ideal of community welfare. Our first great responsibili ty is to maintain and perpetuate our city-manager form of government. Ev ery activity has our attention, it does not matter what it is; every social, every commercial activity of the city has had our attention, and we are not afraid to attack anything that we be lieve is wrong. We are not afroid to advocate onything that we believe is right. It will either affect adversely the whole welfare of the community or it will affect it favorably. The first thing that we undertook was the federation of charities. The charities of the city of Dayton were diversified, overlapping, and we placed them into one body, so that we could have one body to deal with and so that there could be no overlapping. We have now going on, or will take very short ly, surveys of poverty and crime, housing conditions,- health and sanita tion, etc. Mr. Bryce, in his book on America, said that the most evident neglect of the people of this country was the neglect to vote, but the great est neglect was the neglect to think. What we wanted to do was to get the people of Dayton to think, and we are HURT WHILESPEEDING BRAKE GETS BLAME FOR QUITE SERIOUS ACCIDENT. Two Young Men Thrown From Mo torcycle Last Sunday, Driver Be ing Unable to Make Turn. While riding a motorcycle north on Fairview avenue at a high rate of speed last Sunday, "Buck" Stichler, accompanied by Robert Muscott, was unable to guide his machine when at the turn into Washington street, and as a consequence he collided with the curb in front of C. B. Stone's resi dence, receiving quite serious injuries. loung Muscott escaped being hurt. The former sustained injuries about the neck, and his right ear was almost severed from his head when he was thrown from the motorcycle and col lided with the building. The machine mounted the curb, and lay close to the building. When picked up he was unconscious. He was rushed to the Dallas hospital, where later he told those around him that the cause of the accident was due to failure of the brake to work. The motorcycle was badly wrecked. GETS ITS WIRES CROSSED. The Observer Errs in Saying J. C. Fox of Dallas la Criminal. The Observer was misinformed when it stated that the Fox arrested for il legally using the mails was Mr. J. C. Fox, manager for the Portland Ce ment company near this city, and vol untarily hastens to make the correc tion. The man arrested is W. E. Fox, who is a painter. To Begin Building Soon. Preparations are making for the erection of the new training school at the Normal. The Old gymnasium is being razed by Lloyd Mason, he re ceiving one-third of the lumber for his labor. Wow, How It Hurt. Miss Burtchell, one of the Normal girls, had the misfortune to split one of her great toes in trying to split kindling wood. Three stitches were necessary in dressing the wound. Herald. Development f trying to educate them to think about their city. We have become agita tors; we are not going to leave the agitation of public questions solely to the people who are unwise in their leadership, but we are going to try to get the people to know what really is best for the community welfare; and ithis is one of the great responsibili ties and duties of the Greater Dayton association. "We want to develop leadership in the community. The business men of the city, just like the businessmen of any other city, do not stir until some thing affects their own private inter ests, and we want the business men of the city of Dayton to be alive to the things that must be done. We want men to take hold of a project that is lor the best interests of the communi ty, and "we are trying to develop that sort of leadership. We are doing this : We are trying to develop civic patriot ism. Take the men a .id women every where, and when they see an Ameri can flag they are inspired with thoughts of national patriotism, be cause they know of Concord and Lex ington ond Bunker Hill and Valley Forge. They know of the war of the rebellion. They know of all the achievements. It is an open thing in lach mind. But I tell you that the young people read in the papers about the "City Hall gang," and they hear the city officials exposed to disrespect, and there is not in any metropolis, in that connection, civic patriotism. "What are we doing to correct thatt We are having written a short history of the city of Dayton, suitable to be taught in the eighth grade, and we are going to take every measure possible to inculcate into the children and into the men and women of the city of Dayton a civic patriotism. We need men and women of vision of the community welfare, men with a vision that righteousness exalteth a nation; men who are filled with justice and truth and who know how projects are tOjbe urged and considered; men and women able r to understand and " con vince others that the effort at clean liness, beauty, order, is not purely an effort to make people do things for the sake of change, but that the things are necessary to right living, to health and clean thinking, necessary to better government. ' ' STATE REFUSES TO HELP ROAD TO TILLAMOOK COAST MUST BE DELAYED. High Commission Is Fnancially Un able to Expend Necessary Sum This Year. The state highway commission hav ing declined to give financial aid to the proposed new road in which Polk, Yamhill and Tillamook counties are interested, and which would give a better grade to the Tillamook coast, the project will have to be abandoned for the present year. The commis sion has not sufficient funds to con tribute to the construction of this pro posed road, although it appreciates the value such a highway would be to travel to and from the coast. Com missioners Beckett and Wells recent ly held a conference with the Yamhill commissioners at McMinnville, and while there the state commissioners were consulted with the result as giv en here. The road as proposed would necessitate an expenditure of approxi mately $90,000, of which amount each of the three counties contemplated contributing $15,000, the remainder to come from the state. Polk could ill afford to expend that sum on this project this season, yet is had prac tically agreed to do so in case the project was financed by the state to the extent of one-half the cost. Til lamook was slow in making good, its court not having made any provisions to take care of its end of the under taking. Yamhill has appeared to he anxious to construct the proposed road. PRESENT ROAD TOO LONG. Falls City Man Wants Lincoln to Shorten Route to Coast. While at Newport last week Mr. Deals of Falls City spoke before the Commercial club of that place on the trunk line road now being constructed to the seaside resort. The Yaqulna Bay News says: "Mr. Deals of Falls City, chairman of the Polk County Good Roads committee, was present and after being introduced by Mr. Ed. Stocker, told the club of the road building work that was being carried out in his county in connection with the road now being constructed from Falls City to the Lincoln county line. He stated that his county had levied a 7 mill tax for this highway and that about $12,000 would be expended upon it by June 1 so that auto travel could pass over it this summer. "He thought the present road from Newport to the Siletz was too long and could be made much shorter, and advised the people here to get busy and see what could be done to shorten this distance. Polk county be said intended to hard surface their part of this road as soon as it was opened and properly graded. At the conclu sion of his interesting talk some time was spent in comparing map routes between Newport and the Siletz, af ter which the club adjourned." LINER SUNK BY SUBMARINE. er steamship With Many Aboard Sent to Bottom. According to a press dispatch from London, the British admiralty an nounced Sunday night that 110 per sons, including passengers and crew, were missing from the British steam ship Falaba, sunk by a German diver off South Wales. One hundred and forty persons were rescued. It was also announced that twenty-three members of the crew .and three pas sengers from the British steamship Aquilla, also the victim of a German submarine, were missing. A state ment issued by the official press bur eau said that the Falaba carried 160 passengers and a crew of 90 men. It is feared that many of the passengers were killed when the torpedo struck the vessel. The others were drowned. The British steamship Eileen Emma picked Up 116 of the Falaba 's surviv ors and six of these died aboard the ship. ' HORSES RUN AWAY. Henry Quiering Has Narrow Escape From Serious Injury. On Saturday afternoon a team of horses driven by Henry Quiering took fright near the corner of Main and Clay streets and becoming unmanage able ran down the latter thoroughfare. The wagon to which they were hitched struck a telephone pole in front of the residence of I. N. Woods, tearing two wheels off and throwing Mr. Quiering to the ground. The horses continued their course, and a few blocks farther on the coupling pole caught nnder and tore up a crosswalk, disengaging the wagon from the team. The ani mals were finally stopped on Miller avenue. Mr. Quiering, although bad ly shaken up and somewhat bruised, was not seriously injured. He was taken to the home of Conrad Stafrin, where he soon recovered from the shock. Holds Adjourned Session. The' city council held an adjourned meeting last night, when further ac tion was taken toward the improve ment of the streets heretofore men tioned by The Observer. In some cases waivers were given by property owners, thus obviating the expense of advertising the proposed improve ments. Several other matters of mi nor importance were also given con sideration. Must Pay Year's Tax. A Washington dispatch says: As sistant Secretary of the Treasury Malburn has advised Senator Lane that under the law the Oregon whole sale liquor dealers must pay a full year's federal tax July 1, notwith standing the fact that the law stops their business six months later. None of the tax will be refunded. Jones Gets Meredith's Place. W. Al. Jones of Eastern Oregon was yesterday elected secretary of the state fair board to succeed Frank Meredith, resigned. Mr. Meredith has accepted the secretaryship of the Washington state fair board at an in crease in salary. Mr. Jones is known to many Dallas people, having made several visits to this city. Quarterly Inspection Tonight. . Capt. Stafrin has issued orders to members of Company L, to the effect that they are to appear at the armory tonight in service uniform for inspec tion and muster. Expert sharpshoot er and marksman badges will be pre sented to the enlisted men who quali fied at the target range in 1914. Would Interest Dallas. Albany bowlers are trying to inter est Dallas in a tournament to be held in that city about April 15. It is the purpoa- of the organization there to hare the leading towns of the valley represented. As yet nothing has been done here. BEGIN MAKING PLANS POLK COUNTY PIONEER ASSO CIATION IS PROPOSED. Mr. Ford Believes Society to Perpetu ate the Memory of Their Achieve ments Should be Perfected. Although the county fair is quite distant as yet, plans are being per fected for the organization, on the second day of that event, of a Pio neers' association, and to that end U. S. Grant and J. G. Brown are serving as a committee to enlist the interest of the early settlers of Polk county in such as society. The undertaking is most commendable, and should not on ly have the membership of all pio neers but their support in furthering the organization. John T. Ford, a well known pioneer, writes The Ob server on the question as follows: Editor Observer: As announced in The Observer of last Friday a move ment is under way to organize a Pio neers' association on the second day of the Polk county fair in September next. The roster is to include the pioneers, their children and all des cendants of pioneers, and it has been suggested that persons interested in such organization communicate with ' U. S. Grant and John G. Brown of this city, who, as I am informed, have the matter of organization in hand. The writer hereof, has also been invit ed to participate in the organization. Of course, he is willing to aid this commendable movement in any way that he can, but, in his opinion, there are others more competent to take up the good work and carry it forward to successful conclusion than himself. We should be patriotic, not selfish in this matter. The Oregon pioneers were a highly developed type of people, virile, ener getic and intelligent. They were amque in this: They constituted the most energetic, adventurous and in telligent element of the community in which they lived, they were more than a representative class. Only the pro gressive and daring had the moral ' and physical courage to undertake th hazardous task set before the noble men and women who settled the Ore gon country in the early 40 's and 50 's. But, in these so-called degenerate days, the fortunate descendants of the Oregon pioneers hesitate to get out-, side the environments of the county where they were born lest they starve to death, yet our noble forebearers did not hestitate to tumble their chil dren, goods and chattels into an ox wagon and start upon a long and dan- . gerous journey through an inhospit able wilderness infested with wild beasts and inhabited by cruel and treacherous savages, hoping to find an Eden on the vernal shores of the moaning Pacific and they found it. Yes, they found the world's long lost Eden, and by their prudence, energy, courage and intelligence they built up a splendid commonwealth m this new Hesperian world. We, their descend ants, and thousands of other happy people, are now enjoying the fruits of their labor, and the very least their descendants can do is to perfect a fit ting organization to perputate the memory of their splendid achieve ments. This is the purpose, as I un derstand it, of the organization pro posed. Other counties of the state have done what we purpose doing, and the people of those localities are tak- ng hold of the movement with energy and intelligence. What others have done we can do. In the not distant future some one of these good old pio neers will be "the last leaf left on the tree in the spring," then who will be so despicable as not " to do him rever ence f Why not show him respect while living, and not wait until he has 'dropped into that dreamless sleep from which no awakened voice has ever yet returned to us. One touch of sympathy in this life is worth a flooded river of tears after the slug gish clod rattles on our mortal casket. The noble old pioneer will soon be "a bright, brave memory, his a stainless shield ; no shame defaces and no envy mars the record of an honored life revealed ; his name, a star among eter nal stars." It should be our aim to perfect a permanent organization, have our an nual meetings, capable speakers to ad dress us, and suitable amusements to entertain the people. Who will be the next to speak up in meeting 1 the next to speak up in meetingt J. T. Ford. Degree Teams Drilling. Rebekah degree lodges of Marion and Polk counties are drillingtheir degree teams for the contest at the aismct convention to be held Woodburn, April 15. in