The Herald
RICHARD B. SWENSON
Editor & Publisher
Bntarad aa wcond-claa. mattar Swtcnbcr 1 W.
t tht poat oflle at Monmouth. Onm undar the
Act of March J, 171.
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MONMOUTH, OREGON
FRIDAY, APR. 6, 1917.
( IQCZZD)
Monmouth
Meditations
U mi l
The sidewalk man is beginning to
get busy.
A year ago this week the cherries
were preparing to blossom.
Junior Day, 1917, will not be reck
oned among the least of them.
This is the week when the con
scientious Biddy is busy producing
Easter eggs.
A year in Monmouth has con
vinced the meditator that Nature is
considerably partial to this section.
Judging from the growth made
the past week it will be some time
before the local potato crop is ready
to harvest.
With nineteen soldiers, rookies
and veterans, in the national guard,
Monmouth has done something to
help give us an army. But it is apt
to do more before that five hundred
thousand is enlisted.
Prospects for shipbuilding look
good for some years to come. So
many craft have been sunk or de
stroyed that it will take some time
to catch up again. Ship building
has been an important industry in
the northwest and is apt to become
more important.
People to whom the European
war seemed foolish and unnecessary
when it started nearly three years
ago, are beginning to realize that it
will have results in the reduction of
caste and social standing in all the
nations engaged in it. So with
these occasional wet days that are
so irritable, they are producing live
arguments for those good road
bonds that are to be voted on next
June.
It might be possible to beat the
proposed debt limitation charter
amendment once but it will pass
eventually. It must pass for the
city can not keep house without it.
If defeated the first time, it will pass
on a second attempt and then the
re action is apt to raise the limita
tion, for 5 per cent is low. Any
council which can contract a new
debt can legalize an old one. There
you have the whole thing in a nutshell.
present trouble is non partisan.
Roosevelt in the van of our army
would do more to make foreign
countries believe we are in earnest
than any other one thing we might
do.
It has been said that when the
people of the state understand them
they will favor the road bonds. It
has been demonstrated that they
will not add burden to the tax pay
er. We have tried the old plan of
building a bit at a time and it has
not worked. The present road agi
tation in Oregon is an echo of simi
lar moves in other parts of the
Union. Good roads are being built
by the bond plan, done in a syste
matic manner, by men who have
made a specialty of road making
and who build roads to last. Good
roads in Polk county will make
farming more attractive and will
add actual, if not speculative value
to the farms of the county. There
is no reason why hard surface roads
built in Polk county should not be
permanent. Where the ground is
not subject to freezing and thawing,
the great disturbing element of oth
er sections, the roads will last for a
long time. Why should we not have
good roads as well as bad ones. We
live but once and while traveling
back and forth we might as well
have hard roads to travel on as
slosh around in the mud. Eastern
Oregon is practically unanimous for
good roads. There is no reason
why the Willamette valley should
not be likewise.
There are a number of reasons
why it would be good policy to al
low Roosevelt to raise an army to
take to Europe. In the first place,
it would facilitate the raising of
soldiers for enlistment would be
easy and there would be hundreds
and thousands who would volunteer
to be included therein. In the sec
ond place, the effect abroad would
be salutary. No other American is
as well known abroad as is Roose
velt. His name would add strength
to our allies and confusion to our
enemies. His knowledge is compre
hensive and his judgment good.
Vast numbers of Americans who
denounced the views of Roosevelt
last summer are sharing those same
views today. It would be a good
political move for the success of a
United America depends on a
practical demonstration that this
One of the best features of the
Spanish-American war was the way
in which North and South took ad
vantage of the opportunity to dem
onstrate that the scars of the Civil
war had been healed. General
Wheeler shared the honors with
northern born men and the wave of
patriotism that united all sections
of the country was inspiring to
share in. So, at the present time,
although many have disagreed as to
sufficiency of cause, now that war
is determined on there will arise a
similar condition to demonstrate
that Americans are one people. If
the administration is big enough to
realize that where all sorts and con
ditions are depended on to defend
the flag, all corners of the body
politic must be respected, we will
see a demonstration decisive enough
to convince any one that there is no
hyphen as far as American citizen
ship is concerned. From now on, it
is the duty of Americans to put
forth their best efforts to help this
nation win. Help can be given in
many ways. The youth and strong
er men can take their share in
active duty on the firing line and
there is also a prominent part to be
played in the more quiet avenues of
commerce. A great general said
that an army crawled on its stomach
and if it is not fed it can not fight.
Growing food in times of war is as
important as fighting and all can
enlist in this sort of work. The
harvest of next fall is being planned
now and it is a mark of patriotism
to see that the harvest be as large
as possible.
The Ladies' Home Journal which
has waged successful war on patent
medicine ad"ertising and similar
grievances, now comes to the front
in favor of a crusade on cats. The
management of the Journal has
been doing some investigating and
nas iouna tnat something like a
million song birds are killed by cats
each year which would, had their
careers not been thus suddenly
terminated, have eaten about a bill
ion worms, bugs and bacteria and
the world would have been that
much better off. The Journal sug
gests a national law that each cat
allowed to arch its back and purr
must have a license and a bell about
its neck and that it no longer be
permitted to prance with deft and
joyous tread upon the ridgeboard of
the roof but must be kept in con
finement at night While it is ac
knowledged that the cat is a music
al animal and is highly entertaining
when engaged in solo or duet per
formances and a feline quartette is
calculated to inspire one to thoughts
I of assassination and vindictive tort
ure, it also has other practical uses.
For instance, if there were no cats
we are assured there could be no
fiddle strings. The killing of such
a large number of cats as is advo
cated by the Journal would result in
a glut of the fiddle string market,
followed by a scarcity. To avoid
this we suggest that the Journal
work out a practical method for con
serving the fiddle string supply to
see that nothing is wasted. This ac
complished, let the slaughter begin.
"Unification of Regulation It Essential.
A Compltto, Harmonious, Consistent
and Rolattd 8ystsm Noodtd Ftdoral
Incorporation of Railroada by Ganor
al Law Favored.
Washluirtou, March 2.-Reponglbll.
Ity fur the railway development of the
country, for providing necessary trans
portation facilities to rare for the grow
ing business and population of the
country, now rest largely with con
gress and not entirely with the rail
road uiuuagera. This waa the state
ment of Judtfo Robert 8. Lovett. chair
man of the executive committee of the
Union Pacific system, to the N'ewlands
Joint congressional committee when
that body resumed Its Inquiry Into
the subject of railroad regulation this
week.
In making this statement of the
changed conditions of the railroad sit
uation Judge Lovett undoubtedly bad
In mind the decision of the supreme
court on the Adamson law, banded
down last week, which establishes the
right of the federal government to tlx
rullrotid wages and to prevent strikes.
This dcctxlwu la regarded by railroad -J
men in id luwvers us marking an epoch
in the development of transportation
ill the United States.
We have our share of responsibil
ity," Bald Judge Lovett, "but It rests
primarily on congress. When the gov
ernment regulates the rates and the
liuanclal administration of the rail
roads, the borrowing of money and the
issuum-e of securities it relieves the
railroad otllcers of the resiionsiliility of
providing and developing transporta
tion systems, except within the limits
of the revenue t hut can be realized from
such rules and under such restrictions.
"For a country such as ours, for a
people situaled its we ure, to blunder
uloug with u series of unreliited. Incon
sistent, coutllctiug statutes enacted by
different stutes without relation to
each other, instead of providing a com
plete and carefully studied and pre
pared system of regulation for a busi
ness that Is so vital to the life of the
uutlon. Is worse tliiin folly."
lie summed up tliu present problems
and dllliculties of the railroads as fol
lows:
I'lrst.-The multiplicity of regula
tions by the severul states with respect
to the Issue of securities. Involving de
lays and coullli'tiiig state policies gen
erally dangerous mid possibly disas
trous. Second. The state regulation of
rates In such u manner us to unduly
reduce revenues, to discriminate In fa
vor of localities and shippers within
its own borders as against localities
and shippers In other states and to dis
turb and disarrange the structure of
Interstate rutes.
Thlrd.-The Inubllity of the Inter
state Commerce Commission, whoever
the commissioners may be, to perform
the vast duties devolving upon It un
der existing laws, resulting In delay
whlcb should never occur in commer
clal matters-aud compelling the com
missioners to accept the conclusions of
their employees as dual In deciding
matters of great importance to the
commercial and railroad interests of
the couutry.
Kourth.-The practical legality that
has been accorded conspiracies to tie
up and suspend the operation of the
railroads of the country by strikes and
violence and the absence of any law
to compel the settlement of such dis
putes by arbitration or other Judicial
means, as all other Issues between citi
zens In civilized states are to be set
tled. Fifth. -The pheuomeiiul Increase In
the taxation of railroads In recent
years.
Sixth. The cumulative effect of
these conditions tiHu the Investing
public, to which railroad companies
must look for the eupltal necessary to
continue development
"We believe that the unification of
regulation Is essential," said Judge
Lovett. "and that with the rapid In
crease of state commissions In recent
years congress will In time be com
pelled to exercise Its power In the
premises. To unify regulation there
should le a complete, harmonious, con
sistent and related system. We be
lieve the best, if not the only practical
plan. Is the federal Incorimratlon of
railroads by general law. which will
make Incorporation thereunder com
pulsory, thus Imposing on all railroad
companies throughout the United
States the same corporate powers and
restrictions with respect to their finan
cial operations and the same duties
and obligations to the public and the
government, so that every Investor will
know precisely what every railroad
corporation may and mar not lawfullr
do."
01
The Roof Over Your Head
will be a good one if it is made of our shingles.
Made of the best materials, well seasoned, if prop
erly put on they will last for years. Same way with
our lumber. It is the best and for that reason, the
cheapest to use.
Willamette Valley Lumber Co.
Phone Main 202. Monmouth, Oregon
on
c
oc
Monmouth Transfer and
Feed Stable
All kinds of transferring done promptly
and on short notice
FRANK SKEEN, Proprietor.
Monmouth, Oregon
The Valley Electrical Shop
Lighting Fixtures and Supplies
WIRING
Estimates cheerfully furnished free. All work guaranteed to
stand city inspection. We do contract work." Phone trouble
and we will come.. In with Phillips' jewelry store.
Main 4021.
H. D. Clements
Independence
t
X
v Books, Popular Fiction,
n Magazines, Periodicals,
Subscriptions taken.
We can match any clubbing offer.
WALKER'S Book Store
MONMOUTH DAIRY J
J. M. Mc DONALD, Prop-
INSPECTED BY STATE BOARD OF HEALTH 1
4
!
i
Come and see our fine herd of Jer
sey Cows and clean, sanitary barn
Phone 2405
MONMOUTH, ORE.
C. G. GRIFFA,
Plumber and Steam Fitter.
Carries In Stock
Bath Tubs, Toilet Fixtures and all kinds of Plumb
ers' Supplies, nickel-plated or otherwise.
All orders attended to promptly and work guaranteed.
MONMOUTH. . . OREGON