Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, December 14, 1906, Image 1

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    ANNUAL REPORT SHOWS
DEPARTMENT'S ACTIVITY
4f
roiicy of Administration Will
Not Be Chfvnged by Retire
ment of Secretary.
The secretary of the interior Tues
day made big anooal report. It is a
voluminous dooumeot consisting of
885 pages of printed matter. Concern-
;TS'n" lad tnai P,08ecntioD8, Secretary
(3itchoock says:
"The unusual activity in the publio
land servioe referred to in my last
. annual report has not abated. The
prosecution of all persons oonspiring
to aefraod the' government of its pub
lio lands is being continued with
1 vigor, as is shown by the fact that 40
' persons have been ind.'oted in the
various land states and territories
lortne violation of the publio land
laws, 89 have been convicted, and In
dictments are still pending against
401. Tbe zeal with which' the
offloers of this department and the de
partment of justice are looking into
these matters Is constantly uncover
ing new oases that are startliog in
character, but It is the policy of the
administration to oontinue these in
estiagtlons and prooeontions until
J proper respect for the property rights
of the government, and a regard for
the law are etsablished throughout
, inose sections or the oountry in whioh
suoh laws apply.
'It is to be regretted, howeter,
that the efforts made to release the
publio domain from the grip of its
' despoilers have been met by every
ff embarrassment that human ingenuity
1 could devise; powerful influences
have been conoerned, and have not
hesitated to aggressively exert every
V agency that could be commanded to
f weaken the hand of tbe law; even
local land offloe offioials have been
subservient to suoh influences, and
the punishment imposed by the courts
hs in many cases, been so oon-
T spicuously inadequte as to encourage
rather than deter violation! of the
' law. Whether this offlolal stagnation
Ii due in any degree to local political
t influences to whioh these officials are
more or less indebted for tbeir com
missions aud the retention of their
positions, is not important to discuss
at this time, it being sufficient to
state that it is a deplorable fact that
such action, or rather inaction, is
Winging reproach upon the publio ser-
"vice, besides enhanoing the difficulties
which beset the administration in any
efforts that it may make to rescue the
publio domain from serious peril.
J "In the discharge of my duty under
wthe law I have proceeded without
. the slightest prejudice lor or against
' any person or persons interested. In
snob efforts as have been made to pro
jR,tect the service uuder my supervision
from the ravages of inordinate greed,
I have not considered either the
station or the power of the guilty.
Apparently they are all on the same
footing; in my judgment, however,
the higher the offeuder the greater
fyhe crime against society and law, be
cause of tbe force and Influence of
'. the higher example.
A "It is not possible for person") ai.d
V?.
W.
C
1 1 Sell
U o
iiil rb;r. Ciri;r BV.liiij, Gnat Pi, Ori.
.Vi
SHORT TIME
$00
$500
A larze btrn on two choice
is worth the price. ,rl
5-rooin oottage, l' lots, good well. Hjisa is well
palntad and ia gosd condition. Siaa shale tree in yard
Plao c1oe in. It rente for fl-SO per month
$5000 33 acre. lu "u" lC0JX wrauu ri. iuu acraa nay
grouoi, blanoe pure and timber. Warsr to irrigate
1 'all laad.ln cultivation. Fine oat-ranga for stock. 0
ift OOO 'ISO aires of choioe rirer bittoin fruit lanlclussto' 2a,
j Jtowj.J.! iuirjrel. QjJd Dailding Q
froui
corporations of great influence and
power to maintain inclosures of tbe
public land in open disregard of a
criminal statute, without thereby en
couraging others to do likewise; and
here it may be properly noted that
reports on file in the department in
dicate that approximately 500,000
acres and more of the publio domain
in certain states and territories are
by unlawful means appropriated to
the exclusive use of private interests
for private gain."
The secretary renews recommenda
tions for the repeal of the timber and
stone act and the desert laud act as
the cause of the frauds.
"the giantio land frauds in the
state of Oregon, mentioned in my last
several annual reports, are being pur
sued with relentless vigor. New
cases, as well as ramifications of tbe
old ones, are carefully and thoroughly
investigated and indictments are be
ing pressed to convictions as rapidly
as possible."
Then follows a list of the indict
ments returned and the history of
eaob case tried. He concludes :
"The annual reports of the special
agents of the general land offloe show
action in 68 oases of unlawful fencing
in the state of Oregon, affecting
81,169 acres.
"My offlolal influence lu tbis matter
will soon terminate, but I shall have
tne oomrort in retiring from public
service of a well-founded couviction
that the action of the president rela
tive to this olass of lawlessness will
be so rigorons as to enable my suc
cessor to successfully adininister tbe
law."
REPORTS ON FIRE IN
SURANCE SETTLEMENTS
Special Committee of San Fran
Cisco Chamber of Commerce
Report 80 Per Cent Paid
The report of the special committee
of the board of trustees of the San
Francisco Chamber of Commerce on
insurance settlements after the big fire
says: .'. . . . . .
"The total area burned was about
3000 acres, or abont 4.7 square miles,
containing 520 blocks and about 25,000
buildings, one half of which were
residences.
"The amount of insurance coveting
property in the burned district was
approximately t25.000.000 (estimated).
All bad been written by companies
. authorized to do business in the state,
except 16,000,000, which had been
placed outside the state, in some 100
oompanies.
"Value of buildings and contents
destroyed in the fire must have been
about 350,000 000, being an estimate
upon the insurance liability that car
ried no insurance.
"An immense sum of insurance bas
been paid into this city, a far larger
sum than companies have ever been
called upon to pay at one time before.
Iu spite of the earthquake, in spite of
the nearness in time of the Baltimore
and Toronto conflagrations, the com
panies will finally have paid undoubt
edly in the neighborhood of 80 per
cent of the insurance involved. At
Chicago there was 50 per cent paid,
and at Baltimore U0 per cent. "
ileal tstate
SURETY BONDS,
FIRE INSURANCE
AND
RENT HOUSES.
L. IRELAND,
Real Estate Man.
BARGAINS
lots olose in. Barn alone
GRANTS PASS, JOSEPHINE COUNTY, OREGON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1906.
BISHOP SCADDING TALKS
OF DIOCESE CONDITIONS
Church in Oregon Needs More of
the R.iht Kind of
Clergymen.
The Bt. Rev. Charles Scadding, D.
D., Bishop of the Protectant Enioso-
pal church ia Oregon, visited Grants
Pas last Thursday and Sunday. On
Thursday be met the vestry and many
members and at night was tendered
a reception. On Sunday night be
preaohed to a large congregation and
expressed his appreciation of the kind
ness and assurances of support be had
received.
Speaking of the strong tendency in
Oregon to oentralize most of the re
ligious, social and industrial energy of
the state in Portland, Bishop Scad-
ding said be knows only the diocese
of Oregon and his efforts will be de
voted to all parts of the great state
alike. While his headquarters will
necessarily be located in Portland,
yet be hopes to work personally witb
churches in every nook and corner
of tbe state and no remote section will
be so far away as not to receive every
attention from tbe bead of tbe churcb.
He bas oome to Oregon to join in
the development and upbuilding of
the state and as churchman and citl- j
zu will be found fighting her battles
and telling the wondrous story of tbe
west t ,
Bishop Scadding said he was deeply
impressed by the va-tuess of tbe
diocese and the magu I Sclent oppor
tunities for work for God which tbe
rapidly increasing population in some
places presented.
Tbe Rreat need of the Episcopal
oburch in Oregon is for clergymen of
the right kind optimistic, construc
tive, zealous, tactful men and for
means with which to pay them fair
living stipends. Many people expect
to get in the ministry what they never
look for in business, namely, a $5000
man for less than fflOO per year. The
services of a Christian minister, how
ever, could not be measured by dollars
and cents,' and he knew there were
nany clergymen making great per
sonal sacrifices for the cause.
The bishop expressed his regret at
finding so many weak or closed mis
sions in the diocese, and intends at
the earliest opportunity to strengthen
these, just so soon as they show readi
ness to be strengthened and bear their
share of a missionary's support
Without formulating any definite
plan, be desired to be considered as
much the bishop of Eastern Oregon as
of Southem and Western Oregon aud
is pleased with the loyalty and spirit
of the people of Grauti Paws aud be
lieves in a splendid future for South
ern Oregon and that the church people
will keep pace with its material pros
perity by supporting the preachers
aud missions with which th"y are con
nected. Oregon is no longer a missionary
jurisdiction of tho Episcopal church
but a regularly constituted diocese,
and as such must become mere and
more self-supporting. He believes it
would be a conservation of energy,
and proper, to combine some of the
missions and serve them from soae
strong oenter; and bis present policy
is to "strengthen the stakes before
lengthening the cords. "
The Bishop intends returning in the
early Spnug for a louger visitation
in all the missions aud will be accom
panied by Mrs. Scadding.
THE SPLIT-LOG DRAG
PROVES A SUCCESS
Marion County Professional Man
Becomes "Drag" Enthusiast
After Riding Over Road.
Good roads oao be made without
great eipense and with little labor if
the work is undertaken in the right
way. Eternal vigilance is said to be
the price of liberty, and it applies as
well to the making of good roads.
The split-log drag will accomplish
wonders in the making of goods road
If it is only properly nsed.
The f&lloing from the Salem States
man shows that seme of the fanners
in Mai ion county have made good use
of tbe drag :
"Several pieces of road in different
sections of Marion county, whioh
have been treated with the split-Jog
drai method, are canning mucn favor
able comment. The roads dragged
are said to be in splendid condition,
despite tbe recent heavy rains,
Wherever the drag has Ibeen properly
nsed, It is raid the road has a solid
foundation and a smooth 'surface.
"Dr. W. B. Morse of this city made
a professional visit to Silver ton on
oaturaay ana upon bis return was
loud in.his praises of a stretch of road
which bas been treated to a thorough
dragging aud over which be bad occa
sion to travel during tbe trip. The
stretch referred to begins a s'.ort dis
tanoe from the end of the government
object lesson road, "recently con
strncted, and is about three miles in
length. Dr. Morse 'declares the
"drag" road furnishes a better sur
face for travel than the macadam and
believes if the dragging is kept up,
that particular stretch will, within a
few years, become the finest piece of
roaa in tbe county.
County Jndge Scott is making
every effort to interest the farmers
throughout Marion county in tbe split
log drag roads. He has also in
structed the supervisors to use the
drag as muoh as possible and be is
confident the simple, Inexpensive de
vice will do all that is claimed fbrjit."
ATTORNEY HOGUE'
V IS HELD IN JAIL
Tim Spent in Hospital Does Not
Count on His Sentence of
Four Months.
M. G. Hoge, ex-olty attorney of
Medford, who is serving four months
in the Multnomah county Jail, is
olamoring for bis freedom. Hoge,
with others, was convicted of land
frauds by a federal jury last July.
He was sentenced to four mouths in
jail and to pay a fine of 500. At the
time of the (rial, and even before the
trial, Hoge complained of being ill
and made an effort to bave the trial
postpoued. Tbe report whioh was
received by United States Attorney
Bristol and Francis J. Honey, who
were the prosecutors, did not bear out
Hoge'a claim of illuess and be was
brought to Portland, Hoge pUyed the
part of a sick man well and one morn
ing daring the trial tailed to appear
in court After waiting an hour,
Honey and Bristol learned that Hoge
was supposed to be in a comatose con
dition at his lodgings. A doctor was
summoned aud weut to where Hoge
was living. Dr. K. A. J. Mackenzie
was the physician called. When, in
oompauy with Mr. Bristol, he arrived
at Hoge's rooms, he found Hose
staring wide-eyed at the oeiliiig. The
subject certninly looked bad, but
when Dr. MacKenzie gave him the
usual test, the sick inun came to
with a yell.
This made the officials believe that
IIoRoe was playing a part. It did lot
help him to stave off conviction, but
his ill health helped him to secure a
light sentence.
After sentence was passed ou Hoge,
he was sent to the jail, but convinced
the authorities that he was really ill
aud was later sent to St. Viucout Hos
pital. He was there for some time,
but was returned to the jail, having
been pronounced in good health by
the physicians who examined bim. In
spite of this, however, he managed
to work bis way back to tbe hospital
several times. In all, it is estimated
that since sentence was parsed upon
him, he has spent almost a mouth
outside of the jaiL Hoge started to
serve his sentence July 28, and the
way be has figured it out. his sen
teuce expired November 28. When
that date rolled around, Hoge, iu a
letter addressed to United States Mar
shal Keed, demanded hii release. Bat
Hoge is still in jail and from all ac
counts he ia liable to rtvnaiu there
until he bas served bis full four
months.
The statute under which the Med
ford attorney was convicted says mat
the time must be served in jaiL There
is a proviso that for good behavior
five days can be taken off raoh month.
Nothing has been allowed Hoge for
good behavior, for the authorities are
folly convinced that his illness was
sbam. Neither do they intend thU
be shall bave credit for having served
the time in the county jail he spent
on a cot at tbe hospital.
The present rain, following a period
of exceptionally beautiful and pleas
ant weather, is the flnrt real, effica
cious and undeniable rainy time of
the Winter thus far. Snow bas fallen
to a considerable depth in tbe higher
mountains and the result of the storm
will be to start hitherto idle hydraulic
plants all ove' the conntv.
REVIVAL MEETINGS TO .
CLOSE SUNDAY. NIGHT
Much Interest Still Being Taken
and Many Are Coming
Forward. . ' '
The interest in the revival meetings
led by Honeywell aud Bilhorn have
suffered uo diminution in tbis, the
last week or tbe meetings. Every
evening the tabernoale is filled with
a crowd of eager listeners. The in
tensity and zeal of the preacher do not
flag as the end of the aeries of meet
ings approaches ; on the contrary,
some of the most masterly and effect
ive of his appeals seem to have been
reserved for the final week
Few who
heard bis wonderful word picture on
Tuesday evening of the feast of
Belshazzar at Babylon will fail to
remember it for years for its remark
ably vivid and Impressive character.
The extremely forcible plalness and
direotness of Mr. Honeywell's dis
courses spares no offender and while
the great majority of his listeners
take their medicine manfully, there
is now and then an individual who
cannot philosophically swallow the
doses so generously ladled out So
among an extremely small proportion
of those who bave attended some ani
mosity has been aronsed wich has
manifested itself in utterances on the
streets and in a number of anonymons
communications addressed to Mr.
Honeywell. I
Those last do not bring much satis
faction to the senders however, in
view of Mr. Honeywell's announce
ment of bit babit of burning snob
missives unread. But there is only
now and then a case of tbis character.
Nearly every one recognizes the sin
cerity and weight of Mr. Honewyell's
remarks and respects him all the
more for his fearless direotness.
A second meeting for men only was
teld la tbe tabernacle on Sunday
afternoon and was atteuded by about
600 men.. It was a very successful
meeting and 85 responded at the olose
of the service to the Invitation to
come forward. On Monday evening
a meeting was held for women aud
was atttended by about 700 women
and one man. Tbe one lone male In
the sea of women beld his fearsome
position with admirable courage aud
deoliued to take his departure autil a
vote had to be taken on tbe momen
tous question as to whether or not be
should be permitted to remain. The
sentiment expressed being nearly
unanimous in disfavor of masculine
presence, be was finally induced to
retreat which he did iu good order
and without panic.
Converts are being received each
night in numbers varying from five
to 35 at a time. Tbe total results of
he meeting v. Ill be very gratifying to
tbe Chnstain people. Beside, these
visible results an incalculable good is
being done among people who hav
hitherto spent little thought ou their
way of life aud mauy are being in
duced to lead cleaner, straigbter aud
squarer lives, though they do not ac
cept the Christian faith.
Mr. Bilhoro's singing coutiuues to
be a powerful attraction and his solos
on each evening are heard with much
appreciative pleasure. An especially
enjoyable musical feature was the
This Space lklongs to Thomas an I O'Neill
HOT ICE!
Owing to tho unprecedented call for adver
tising space in this paper during the holiday sea
son 'we have temporarily been compelled to
transfer our advertisement to the 3rd page
Head it and note tho prices, then call and see for
yourself, it will pay you.
Thomas O'Neill,1
Headquarters for Christmas Gilts.
No. 37.
duet on Wednesday evening by Mr.
Bilhhorn and Mrs. W. L. Ireland.
The meetings will close with the
Sunday evening service. On Sunday
morning the meeting will be held is
the tabernaole at 10 :45 and in tbe
afternoon at 8 :4S another meeting
rill h hnM .nl. . .
BRIGGS MINE" BEING"
STEADILY DEVELOPED
Seen of the Rich Strike of 1904 a
Busy Place Good Ore Being
Tbe Briggs mine ai the head of
Sucker oreek, the scene of the phe-
noweD1 Bld find of 1004, Is making a
graud showing under development.
Ever since Manager Staples of the
Briggs Bar Gold Mining Co., has been
in charge of the property, a force of
men have been steadily and quietly
oarrying on development work and
tbe present showing of the property
is one that is extremely gratifiyng to
the management. A. , J. Fulk. one
of tbe original locators of tbe property
and who has been employed ai fore
man during the progress of the de
velopment work, was In Grants Pass
tbis week and speaks in the highest
terms of the present appearance and
prospects of the mine.
Altogether, the development work
thus far aggregates about 1300 feat.
Three separate ledges are shown,
running on a nearly parallel course.
Tbe first of these, the one on which
the original discovery was made. Is
about eight inches in width and car
ries varying values, running op In
some places to 11000 per ton. Tbe
second ledge Is large, about 20 feet in
width 'and carries steady values of
about 9 per ton In free gold besides
more or less In sulphides. The third
ledge was discovered in orossouttlng
what was originally thought to be one
been driven a dlstanoe of 70 feet and
is still in ore. Mr. Fulk says the
oourse of tbe tunnel may not be di
rectly acrois the coarse of the ledge '
bat it is safe to ay that the width is
uui mam aiuau ou leei. j.nis ore oar
ries values of abont 20 per ton, bat
Is J 'base," the values occurring in
sulphides aud little free gold being
found.
The projected wagon road, nhould it
be built, would greatly expedite the
development and equipment of this
property as the remoteuess of the,
place aud the great difficulty of trans-
portatlon of machinery greatly im
pedes the progress of the work. Ia
the Winter time It is impracticable
to bring in even supplies for more
than a small force of men. - A wagon
road Is badly needed that the property
maybe equipped efficiently as it re-
nulrnl a nnttrrx milt tt I iiPiyia fin rtmtLr s
,0 handle the ore which is shown in
great extent. Other quartz mines
of 8ucker creek ar8 10W, ,L
Tne 00WpttuT wn,oh hM takoB ,
on the Platts property near the mouth
of Bolaud creek are preparing for ex
tensive development work. The
"Little Gem" owned by Baruett &
Sutherland is being worked and is
presenting a flue appearance. The
Colin ledge, owned by Orlmmett,
Hull & Mathews is being operated on
a small scale and is vluldiiiff hlirh
grade ore In gratifying quantity.