1 - THE POLK COUNTY PRIDAY. DECEMBER 17, IMS. 1 ! JolkoCb5mier i: Published Each Tuesday and Friday. Office.. 517-618 Court street Telephone. .... .... . J, Main 19 BY LEW A. CATES. i Subscription Rates. One Tear '. Blx Months Three Months .11.50 . .75 . .40 ; No subscription taken unless paid for in advance. This is imperative. , i Entered as second-class matter the Postofflce at Dallas, Oregon. FAIR APPROPRIATION. the 1916 fair; it believes it to be in direct line with progressive move ments and advanced agricultural ed ucation, but it likewise believes that the association conducting it should be content with an appromiation sim ilar to that of lust vear. WHY NOT? Ex-President Taft says the govern ment could save at least $4,000,000 a year by simply abolishing postmas ters and conducting the postal de partment on the same basis that pri vate business is conducted. He sug gests that deputy postmasters, select ed for ability and efficiency and nam ed under civil service regulations, could and should be the real execu tives in each postofflce, and further declares that this would put an end to "interminable politics and actual waste" which now permeate the pos tal system and handicap it in render- he believes it is not fair or right to "devil'' the president with the fac tional fusses, bickerings and strife that always accompany the selection of each new postmaster. The whole system is wrong, wasteful and need lessly disturbing, in his opinion, and he thinks the time has come to look for a better system, based on sound business rules and regulations. The suggestion is really a good one and should be carefully and earnestly considered by the people of this coun try, who can easily bring this change about by simply giving it their ap proval. There is not a particle of doubt that efficiency, economy and better service would be promoted by discontinuing the practice of reward ing political workers by giving them jobs and salaries as postmasters, and no other reason to continue this prac tice than that it "suits the politi cians" and oriel's an incentive to play the game. When, however, the people get the worst of it in the long run, in wastefulness, inefficiency and deterioration of service, why should the public hesitate to throw this slov enly and loose system into the dis card and insist on the substitution of a better system, based on real busi ness rules? And in thinking it over they should remember that Mr. Taft says this would result in an annual saving of at least $4,000,000, while the chances are the economies which would follow would greatly exceed even that estimated amount. I Appreciating the indisputable fact' ing service to the public. Moreove: ithat the entire community may ur ,rive lasting benefits from the county 'fair, The Observer has persistently championed the local institution from its very incipiency, and under normal Sconditions shall continue to follow 'this course, but nevertheless it can not believe that the county court is acting in the interests of the tax- 'payers by incorporating so large a sum in the laio tmdget ior us main tenance. And in this view it does not : stand alone. The county fair, be cause of its educational features, is ' deserving of and entitled . to liberal recognition from the governing body in order that it may continue the promotion of its manifold helps to the agriculturist," the horticulturist, the ' stockman and the younger generation i of the rural realm, to say nothing of the advantage given Polk county from a publicity standpoint, but the ap propriation awarded the institution i last year should satisfy for the com ' ing event, even though the asscjcia- , tion guarantees the financial expendi- i ture consequent to an exhibit at the ? land show at the metropolis next " fall. - The tax-payers of Polk county, in common with those throughout the h state, are already overburdened by ;i taxation, and curtailment wherever possible should be the watchword, un i til such time, at least, when the ef fects of the present financial depres ; sion shall be less keenly felt. Indi- vidually the addition to the appropri ' ation of last year would be infinitesi ) mal, and while there are those in all I sections of the county who would i gladly contribute the extra mite to--? ward the creation of the larger i amount sought, and who would loudly 'i applaud the county court for its gen- ! erosity, it should be remembered that the enterprise is not financed from the public fund with any degree of unanimity, and also that the under I dog should have due consideration ac- ! corded it. It is a well-known fact ( that no inconsiderable opposition to the proposed levy, as incorporated in I the annual budget, has developed s among townspeople as well as rural- ites, the opinion being freely express- ed that with the present rate of tax- ation, the stringent condition of mon- i ey, and the multiplicity of needs for f which there is a demand to provide public comforts and conveniences to ? the populace, the fair association should be content with a lesser i amount than $2,000. J- And even so, Polk county, through , the exercise of a spirit of communi ty and individual co-operation, and fwith judicious management on the I part of the association's executive, , can hold a most creditable exhibit and make the annual event a success and f a permanent institution. We contend that the fair should be a community t enterprise, of the community and for ; the community, and as such should re- ceive the financial support of the ; whole community, which end can be justly and equitably satisfied only through uniform assessments upon . the taxable property of the territory which it is calculated to include in its various ramifications, but business ae. umen is equally necessary for its sue f cesstul outcome ami tor its perman- encv. There should be sources of revenue other than that contributed through the generosity of the govern jnental body of the county, and money nenven irom inese snouid aid mater ially in the piomotion and mainteu ' ance of the fair from year to vear. . Yamhill county conducts an annual fair without financial assistance fmtn I the county; Benton, which admitted ly has one of the most interesting ex- limits or any county in the state, re ceives an allowance of but $1,400. while several others holding fail's get only slate aid, which goes to show that gate receipts, revenue derived from concessions, etc., meets their ob ligations. The Polk county fair might be broadened along similar lines, greatly to its benefit, and to the ben efit of the people. No person would object to a small admission fee, and if the fair continues to show improve ment in the future as it has in the past it will be well worth the money. Certainly some such provision must be wrought, because with growth more financial sustenance must be "forthcoming and tlie people, at best, will eventually balk over the outlay. The Observer heartily endorses an appropriation by the eoonty eourt for powers in the courts to check and prevent such practices. In the exper ience of Australia it is claimed this system has worked out in a very sat isfactory manner, and it is held that it can be applied with equally saus factory results in this country. In anv event it is clear that some thing must be done to safeguard American trade and interests from the unfair competition of European "dumping." A good illustration of this antieipaled dantrer is found in the case of the dye manufacturing in dustry. Shut off by the war from the usual European sources of supply Amsricans have made a good start to ward making their own dyes and thus putting this nation on an independent basis. Germany, however, with super ior facilities for makiusr cheap dyes, might undertake to crush out this new industry and again control the mar kets, both of this country and in other nations. It is to prevent this and all similar unfair attempts to smother American trade and indus tries that this country must provide an effective barrier asrainst " dump ing." And coinrress must do this in time to prevent any real damage to American interests. WHICH CHRISTMAS? Mr. Ford is evidently imbued with boundless confidence in the success ot his peace undertaking. According to a wireless message' from the Oscar II. on which the peace excursionists are traveling to Europe, Mr. Ford made the statement: "I'll bet this. ship against a penny that we'll have the men out of tha trenches by Christ mas." Some, no doubt, will regard this offer as nothing more than a bluff; that Mr. Ford does not own the ship anyhow, and- that he there fore runs no danger of losing, even if someone should take him at his word and his prediction prove erroneous. But Mr. Ford is evidently "safe," even without this loophole of escape. It is to he noticed that he does not specify "which" Christmas, and not impossible he would fall back on a convenient mental reservation in case he should be called upon to "make good." There are numerous Christ masses to come, and of course it is certain that one finally will arrive to witness the fulfillment of his proph ecy. Atter all, therefore, it miriit be unwise to "take" Mr. Ford's wnsr- er. Under his own interDretation he may be betting on a sure thing. TO PREVENT "DUMPING." One of the big problems which this nation is sure to face after the con clusion of the European war will be that of providing some plan to pre vent danger to American trade and industries through the "dumping'' of excess stocks of European goods and manufactures. Experts reu-ard it as a foregone conclusion that Kui-oean nations will widely resort to this prac tice after the war, not onlv to get rid of accumulated stocks and quickly convert them into readv money or credits, but also for the sake of re viviusr and l-estorintr lince of trade that have been impeded or entirely throttled by the war. Also there is another motive to encourage this practice a likely desire to smother American comjietition if possible. And to accomplish this the Europeans may find it to their interest to sell goods in the United States at an actual loss, for at least a time, hoping and intend ing to recoup such losses by exacting higher prices after American competi tors had been driven out of the mar ket. President Wilson, we are told, is giving serious thought to this prob lem and may make it the subject of a special message to congress later on. Secretary of Commerce Redfield al ready is engaged in the work of draw ing up an anti-dumping bill for pres entation to congress, but this measure is first to he submitted to the presi dent for his approval, and such changes and revisions as he may deem advisable or essential. It is known. however, that the Redfield bill will proceed along the lines of the Aus tralian law, which classes "dumping" as unfair competition and puts wide FORGING FORWARD. By perusing the pages of The Ob server today one must naturally ar rive at the conclusion that Dallas and Polk county have not been idle dur ing the past year. While the list of improvements made here and else where throughout the county is in no wise complete, it being quite impos sible to cover the entire field in the matter of betterments, it is sufficient ly voluminous to evidence the con tinued progress that has been made within the bailiwick. It was the aim of this publication to ascertain to an even greater extent the improvements made in the county, but a number of correspondents failed to respond to our request for information, and hence the incompleteness of the re port as given today. The greater amount of lasting work along munici palimprovementlines has been done by improvement lines has been done by Dallas, yet notwithstanding this fact the other towns of the county have made progress. Like in the county seat town, Independence, Monmouth and Falls City have accomplished less in building activities than in former years, but all have forged forward to a greater or lesser extent in municipal betterments. This is particularly true of Falls City, where a considerable sum of money was expended in street and sidewalk improvements. The rur. al communities have shown the great est activity in building, and it is re grettable that we are not enabled to have a complete list of the structures erected during the past twelvemonth. Under prevailing conditions there should be rejoicing among residents ot Polk county over the proirrcss made in 101,). While other more preten tious communities of the Willamette valley have, practically speaking, been at a standstill we have advanced in a most satisfactory manner. And with the return of improved financial conditions The Observer predicts that the progress of the coming year will be more pronounced in all sections of the county. In many instances con templating betterments are awaiting "better times," and with these as sured for the not very distant future we may reasonably expect a most prosperous 1010. ... f t,i,.h varied only in tie- tail and degree from the sinking ot the Lusitaiiia, and which caused tins government to file with Aitsiriu n i -:,;!,. in the one previously mi,,le tn flBi-nianv concerning the Lu- -ni, n.f.t nver the Ancoua attack. J.HO JIJUlVi). -.111 i... vina the case with t 111" l.usitania protest, calls for disavowal ntion. and it is stated that the question of continuing dip lomatic relations with the dual empire mav depend on the hitter's making n .nti.fontnrv rcnlv to the American ;note. The situation is concededly tense and fraught-with serious pos- oihilitips.. and the action of Austria is awaited with no little concern. II is known that the Austrian govern not vet recovered from a d..i: ne luwvishness over the en- forced recall of Ambassador Dumlm. ,i if nnw is slated that had it not been for pressure brought by Ger many on Austria, the latter might have turned the Duniha incident into an open quarrel. This feeling may odd to the difficulty in reaching a friendly agreement over the Ancoim affair, while a further complication ii noted in the disclosure that only a iw ,iva the Austrian submar ine which shelled the American oil tank steamer Petrolite, in the Medi terranean, forcibly took part of that ship's provisions and supplies.' Of course this government, and the American people generally, will sin cerely hope that nothing serious may come from the new dispute with Aus tria, but the crisis which has been precipitated has spread a feeling of uneasiness and apprehension. Fortu nately, the present week has seen the solution of two other points of dis pute, with England over the arbitrary seizure of suspected American vessels and with Germany over the demanded recall of Captains Boy-Ed and von Papen, so that the Austrian dispute is now the only one of serious import. And this may also be settled amicably and satisfactorily, after a certain amount of diplomatic palaver and maneuvering, although the chances are that by that time some new crisis will make its appearance to continue the uncertainty and state of tension. In fact, not until the great war is ended will the nations of the world recover their usual good nature and be ready to treat each other with en tire and unselfish fairness. Mr. Ford seems to be having sonic trouble to keep peace among his own delegates, although-they are traveling to Europe to try to harmonize the warring nations. LUMBERING. With a stronger lumber market, and the consequent revival of the in dustry throughout- the Pacific north west, Polk county, which has exten sive lumbering interests within its boundaries, must nuturallv be mater ially benefited. Already the operat ing sawmills of this locality are feel ing the effect of slishtlv bettered con ditions, and have hopes for further improvement for the near future. A large amount of monev has been ex pended in Polk county during tin past year preparatory to the time when the merchantable product shall have reached normal figures from the salesman's standpoint. Xew exten sions of logging roads have been made m the western portion of the county, thus tapping hitherto untouched t'or esis of splendid limber, and the com ing season gives promise of much ac tivity. It Will mean additional woods men to supply logs to the mills, a larger tiu-pail brigade at the manu factories, and more prosperity for the community as a whole. The market continues to show an upward tendency, but to just what exieni ine improvement will be can not be fully determined until earlv in the new year, at least, and possibly not until the opening of soring. Lum bermen, however, are sanguine, an ! this alone means no inconsiderable. People who argue that the present war will be the last, should be re minded that previous to last August many prominent men of the world were firm in the conviction there could he no such thing as a general Euro pean war. OTHER THINGS A Rare and Ourious Collection of Fact and Fancy. With the show windows filled with tov soldiers for Christinas things look dubious for the nnti-nitlitarist ami u.e pacificist. cood thing about, 'the winter season," says 'that brilliant it tr:..D ' hp. ...... ....nn II I TV VllUOi ' - thing to swat or io im- -"- tho same. Harry, wo'd like to muz.ie this rain. .Tii dee and Jurist. t.,.i Tl mid District Attorney eti.io,? Vmvo known one another for iniv.i vears or more, and even now when one of them has a story to tell anvoue else within Hearing ".. leave. Hort. Eakin says he was cunvortec i, Hie "wue-opcn winnow mi in ter. " movement. Hut since he has re- ..,,l t,in hi third cold this winter he swears that his window win u shut. Pelirinns Education. Last week we asked a large number of most worthy and notable citizens the number of the commandment which reads: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." We hone that these w. and n. citizens know more about the practice of that ommandment than they do about its numerical classification. Was ithere ever anything as elusive as the word you would like to use in a Christmas letter, but can't call to mind when you need it? Hugh Black savs he would rather not find a gold brick than to break an aim in reaching tor it. Dig' And you get what ithc harvest brings. Cheery Optimism. Our idea of an optimist is a woman who can hum "Home, Sweet Home" over a washtub of steaming clothes; sing "Coming Through the Hye as she wrings them out; whistle "Old Kentucky Home" while she hang's them up to dry, and, as she stands over the ironing board with the old lining-room emblem "What is Home Without a Mother" staring her in the tace, can sing, hum and whistle in I lie tiood Old hummer lime, mean while getting two children ready for school, bathing baby, hanging the bird cage out of reach of the cat and putting the corned beef and cabbage on to boil for father's dinner. Kansas claims to have .$75,000,0110 invested in automobiles. And the really wonderful thing about it is the fact that the savings hanks of that state are carrying larger tolal depos its than ever before. Probably Mr. Bryan still keeps the motto "God Bless the President" en graved on his ax handle. Yet some people complain that the great com moner lacks the sense of humor. And he awoke in the morning with a sigh of content for his Christinas shopping was finished and he could now sit back and watch the other fel low rush his head off during the last few days preceding Christmas. The true school room is the moth er's heart, the best college the old home, the high festal day tor the soul is Christmas dav. NEW CRISIS LOOMS. ' Apparently it is "just one blamei crisis after another" for this n ion. Xo sooner is one serious dis pute with our neighbors nicely ad justed and disposed than another ap pears, and it is getting so there is scarcely a breathing space between the endless succession of complica tions. Jnst now it is Austria that is causing worry, in connection wita the recent sinkin? of the steamer An- Only one more week to wait. WOULD HAVE ALT, warlike. Senator Chamberlain Has Compulsory Service Bill. Senator flenrg Chamberlain has in troduced a bill advocating compul sory military service to raise the cit izen army to a volume that would meet the government requirements It is proposed that even-one not ex cused for physical, religions or other specific reasons, be obliged to serve ueiween me ages of.lL' and 23. Sen ator Chamberlain advocates calisthe nics, without arms, for those between 12 and 14 years. Tlios. ho(,n i- and 1 years would be organized into a cadet corps. From 18 to 23 they would become the citizen armv. From fourteen to fifteen thev would receive rifle training in some instances. Those trom 16 to 1 would be expected to spend ten days in a military camp each year. 1 The citizens' army would have 20 'ay in training camp f, Ad. in Coquille Herald: "Fann ers: Geo. Moulton wants votir hides.'1 Just so Geo., don't scalp 'em. Dr. Bollman hasn't produced thai ride so we refer you to Dr. Staats, who says the only difference between an automobile and a river boat these days is that the former has tires. Carey Hayler, who is well-known as a bachelor, says: "When a fellow thinks a great deal about getting mar ried he seldom does it." With which philosophy we heartily agree. As the years pile up and our hair turns grey, it is our wont to look more often into the casket in which lie the hopes of the years long gone. We noticed by an altogether es teemed eontenixrary last week that a certain lady who had heen taken io the hospital, suffering greatly, was in very poor health. Really surprising. The most deceitful thins? in Dnlla is the court house clock. Many of the Christmas presents mm me oeing sent away just now are going in time that the sender mav get one hack before the big day. A Rainy Day XNot Be Dull Cheer up I ctk, il Reflet $3.00 L Proof, absoklU t water from n,fcs 1 mnginattieC?: Black. Yellow or Olive-khaki, t"'8 Protector Hat. 75 cents fldEh? C Satisfaction Guaranteed tA 'if6 A. J.TOWER CO, Wu'an, H BOSTON mmll CI BULLETIN -rsil "oik IthU the nes h !r !j 81 .9 ONE CENT A WORD, THoin?aln ';peai The charge ior adwucots menu under thla heading t' cent per word tor MiWntti sertion. No discount tot116' cessive issues. Kyouy 88 anything tor sale iil.1. S change; if you want tiiTr. or lease a house or bualneii bientl It you want help or a Job ot lotitperl you have lost or found aayttilir,ha8 you want publicity of any ktad,tls this column. You are sure t 30n ' results others do, why not you. tP? ,' ephone your "want ads." or lit, ' v, all communications to The Obwn giv Dallas, Oregon. Count the numttts tx words to remit with order. Telipbt ae No. 19. s. 1 Eis l W. h. ALEXANDER & C0MPl!omi offers every young man in M Z who is interested in out-of-domtthg-opportunity .to perfect himself iiut1 the splendid and profitable seiisflll 1 of Tree Repair. We guaranteKraim nections with this company ip?9' completion of course that willtf6"'8 tablish you in a solid suwe! J! business that will grow aswinijy Your opportunity is our opporlmrelo ty. We solicit your investigilbrum Tree surgery pays. Learn it. Ir;n cc Portland School of Practical FpCtioi estry, 817-20 Dekum building, Pol P' land, Oregon. ind! FOR SALE Fine fresh Jersey wjh seven .years oiu. rnce rea8oaifch6 Cass Riggs, South Red 15. Ik, oe FOR. SALE Buildings suitable iire ( private garages. Will tnde l va wood. R. L. Chapman. !fcuse FOR SALE Choice building lot," o- trade. JJolIman and Staati. ttuoI WANTED Machine, cast and t- yet plate iron, brass and copper, ti d and rubber, and rags ot all Hit'0?' in fact, junk of all klndi i-r Halleck, Monmouth, Oregon, fe rph "i d -w FOR SALE Sixty-acre dairy fa Uv in Coos county ; bottom land) irome mile from postofflce; mile fe school; on milk route; good finifj00" road; good improvements. 'ey0j give terms. B. Folsom, Gait Hw, itt Dallas. Sli h Bed. POSITION WANTED Married saten wants position on ranch in 'r district. Understands stock, fo?n and poultry. References furnisi j Family consists of wife and br. Address Mobley, Box 58, MoePof , Oregon. t ai i, th in groups divided geographieal- Hi Work Appreciated. Recently Professor R. (;. IHkstriu of the Peirvdale schools, wA , esflet on "What Shall I Do Witt, V- ! J. cn',jr "f whieb s mailed President P 1. ( anipbe I nivers.ty f Oresri.n. who. in t mentine on the work. h, the follow in? to av: "It i well arrant Jj full of value. I tmlv hm- ZZZ T7 "Tr ' '"J, BnD,W ot ' into the public schMl." FREE CHRISTMAS GIFTS The offer made to subscrib ers by The Observer mav be considered unique. Those' who pay their subscription tomor rowSales day will be given a couiou o-ood for fifty cents in merchandise at the store of any merchant whose announce ment apiwars in these columns either today's or last Tuesday, tor each year. This is an op portunity to purchase small Christmas gifts without expense. 4 NOTICE TO CREDITORS Notice ,s hereby given that the un dersigned. llham A Ynenm h..K... 7 a y me i ounty Court of the Mate of Oregon for Polk Coualc ,. mimstrator of the estate of li,tha. lied "teased, and has ouali All n.. I.-..- , . th. T 7 . '""'"s claims against 1 "'ie are neiehv required to Present them duly verified, with the from the date of this notice, to Osc,, Hayter. attorney f, .u- administer, at h i, . " 7""-' Dalla. r;t t i. ? .. offices in Oreeon. y Ba"k Bu,Iline- ! Dallas. Dated nA , ,-', . jber 17. 1-U5 uolls"ed IH-cem- Ha.h,.. v" "'. XM "'ate " m, deceased. OSCAR HAYTER. Attorney for dminis,rator. TnTU West Side MaiKT WorKs G. Ii. HAWKINS, Proprietor. jr.. MONUMENTS, HEADSTONE! ll' CURBING. , ' ' ' I pe 2 World-Famous Brands id;, Each th, be of if SjfJJ( mplendid grodt at 2 , price. - Old Master and San Marto Coffee -Thm KimJ With Ihm SOLD BY DALLAS MEAT COMPAH t ' "s nit: lit! uc tin i of BUTTER n RAPPE GET THEM AT THE 01 i Send It By Parcel Bend us your laundry by Th m.al carrier la mm auto transact thla business. It e0. few eanta. WaTI return R r"0 m DALLAS STEAM LArSD"1