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About The Athena press. (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1910)
AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER Six and Eight Pages Every Friday. F. B. BotD, PUBLISHER. Application for entrance as 2nd class matter made on Julyji, 1907 at the poBtofflce at Athena, Oregon Uuileran Actot Congress of March 8, 1879 Subacrl tlon Ratal S p r,,year. In advance 12.00 Single copies in wrappers, 6c, (lATHENA, ORE.. JAN. 21 .1910 - The Suuday Uniou-Statesman bas iutroduced aa interesting feature in repriutiug matter from tbe old files of the Walla Walla Union. Sunday's issue contained a page, reproduced from tbe first issue of tbe Union, dat ed April 17, 1869. From wbiob we glean that the sur.vev for tbe O. R. & N, was being made down Meaoham Creek; Lott Livermore and Miss Clara Brown wore married; N. T. Caton as president bad issued a call for tbe first meeting of tbe Walla Walla fire department; flour was selling at $4 and $1.60 per hbl, tacou at 16 and 18 cents, eggs at 20 cents per dozen; Umatilla county nnder the "pesky" dnmoorats bad gone behind $7,000 a year for four years; the spring boats bad arrived at Wallula and freight , teams' andjaok trains were busy haul ing freight to the cities; John Hailey had improved tbe Overland stage ser vioe to tbe extent that Walla Walla was getting mail from Salt Lake in six days and from tbe Atlantic states in 12 days; Tbe first steam saw mill was being assembled in the Blue mono tains; tbe "velooipedo mania" bad traveled up tbe Columbia and reached the Gardon oityi tbe editor advising tbe relegation of the cayuse to the reservation; Missoula Montana, was destined to become tbe city of the Northwest and bad broken off trading with' Portland and San Francisco, giving the trade for. the first time to eastern markets; a oouple of saloon keepers had dropped in to see the press run, and bad regaled tbe editor (name not mentioned), with beer and bologna sausage. ' Tbe obronioles make interesting reading, especially for old timers, and tbe Union-Statesman promisos a continuation of pro ducing them as a feature of the Sun day morning edition. Mail order houses, congressional franking privileges, together with thousand of tons of misoelaneous clap trap literature has caused the usual deQoit in tbo post office department, lhat something should be done to gradually decrease the deficit and bring the service close to self-support all will admit. But it would be a mistake to effect that reduction at the expense of the newspapers and their readors. To increase tbe postage on gonuine newspapers would be equivalent to putting a tax on know ledge. What with tbe steady increase in tbe price of print paper and printed supplies generally the cost of running a paper is muoh greater than it was a few years ago, and every additional cost becomes a burden. There are other and more reasonable ways in wbiob the post oHloe dodolt might be reduoed. The franking privilege is generally regarded as an abnse that might well be abolished with consid erable saving of expeusn. ' A further decrease oould also be effected by changing tbe postal relations between tbe post oflloe department and the other departments. Then, too, there is every ronson to boliove that the government pays 'the railroads too much for oarryiug the mail. After pending in courts for nineteen yours, tbe suit brought by the federal government to reocver IGO.,975 acres of Indian laud near North Yakima from tho Northern Paoillo railway, hns teou deoided against the corpor ation. The laud is valued at more than if 3,000,000. The ruilway claim ed it under a congressional grant in 1887. The government contention was that it bolouged to the Indians under a treaty made in. 1869 by Gov. Issao Stevens. Judge E. II. Whitsou held agaiust the railway oompauy which will take uu appeal to the supreme court. We read uu extract from the first issue of the Walla Walla Union, vublished. In 1869, where tacou was quoted at 16 and 18! cents per pouucl. Compared with the'present price, the days of '69 were easy. Mining days, they were, too. Flour was $1.50 to $1.80 per btl, and pack trains from Montana were loaded with it at those prices. In thoso days the wage earner was paid iu piopoition to what he paid for food products. Today be is paying uioro for food products than the wiuer bought them for iu Walla Walla, or his father paid daring tbe war of the rebellion while his earning oepaoity is kept at about normal. Everything has gone up sky-high ex cept wages, toe inevitable result be ing that millions of families through out the United States are in distressed circumstances and bitterly io want of tbe bare necessaries of life. Just how long the consumer can be made to bear tbe exoessive price burden de pends on tbe length of time he can stand the "squeeze." Congressional investigation is to be made into the cause of high prices, and big city papers are freely predicting a crash. The usual quota of flood waters are found in the basements of Main street business houses, and premises in tbe south part of town have received the customary overflow as the result of inability of tbe powers that be to con trol freshets wbiob gravitate toward town from the east. Just so long as tbe praotioe of allowing Main street to serve tbe capacity of an open trail raoe remains in vogue, so long will tbe usual consequents be tbe result. Once a year a ditch from tbe head of Main street to tbe oreek is talked of. And this is about tbe time of year tbe ditch is tbe prime topic Have you thought of it? Years ago that ditch question was brought up. We do not remember wbetbet it was ever used as a campaign issue or not. Presumably not, else it would have been made. Or maybe it was, and met with defeat. Anyway, the effect of Tuesday's flood again furnishes moisture for reflection and tbe ditob question may be disouss ed in the good, old, timebonored way. If Main street is to be continued in use as a oanal for general drainage purposes, tbe Press would advocate the enlargement of tbe side gutters, with a concrete wall of sufficient height to proteot tbe abutting pro perty. Away with tbe ditoh, an y way. It might cost something and serve a benefloial purpose. INSTINCT AND REASON. As a direct result of tbe so-called Ballinger-Pinobot controversy, the Northwest is getting more wide-spread publicity than ever before. The con tention over water power sites in Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho has given the, whole country food for thought. Knowledge of Alaska bas always been vague, away from tbe Paoiflo Coast, but tbe pres ent difference of opinion as to the best way to conserve the natural re sources of that vast storehouse is making it known in every home. This form of magazine and newspaper publioity foi Alaska and the north west will continue through tbe winter, in view of tbe congressional investi gation soon to start. So that in tbe end good . is sure to come out of a regrettable episode. A Philadelphia newspaper has ad vised the farmers of Pennsylvania and tbe East to visit the orohards of the Northwest, to learn a lesson in fruit culture. It contends that they oan raise just 'as fine a quality of apples on tbe Atlantic ooast, if proper care is taken to prevent diseases and pests. Attention is also oalled "to theattrao tive manner in wbiob Washington and Oregon apples are sorted and paoked, whereas the eastern fruit is dumped iuto a barrel. It oonoludes that this is only one of the many les sons that tbe eastern farmer oan learn from his western brother. A new kind of blasting powder, wbiob is more powerful than dyna mite, which oannot be exploded by oououssion, wbiob leaves absolutely no poisonous gases after explosion, whioh will not freeze, and whioh is absolutely harmless exoept ' when ig nited by a fuse and nnder confinement is to be tried in the mines of the Coeur d'Alenes. It bas been tried in tbe southern part of the state and has given satisfaction. It is known as "oxygen," and is said to be the inven tion of a Southern Idaho man. A brother editor proolaims: "How dear to our heart is tbe old silver dol lar when some kind subscriber present it in view; the liberty head without necktie and oollar, and all the strange things that to us seem so new; the wide spreading eagle, the arrows be low it, the stars and the words with the strange things they tell, the coin of our fathers, we're glad that we know it, for some time or other 'twill coma iu right well the spread eagle dollar, the star spangled Jdollar, tbe old silver dollar we all love so well." Coos Bay seems to be in line for some real railroad building and both the Hill and Harriman systems are reported to be showing iuterest in that section. It is said work is about to be resumed on tbe Southern Paoiflo line from Drain and 'tne Northern Paoiflo is said to be negotiating for big coal holdings, which lie close to MarahUeld. An Interesting Illustration of tho Two Traits of Monkeys. An illustration showing (be differ ence between instinct and reason in monkeys came under tbe observation of David Starr Jordan, tbe famous naturalist. At one time he bad two lively Mncncus monkeys called Bob and Jocko. These were nut aud fruit eating monkeys and instinctively knew Just how to crack nuts and peel fruits. At the same time he bad a baby mon key, Mono, of a kind tbat had the egg eating instinct. But Mono bad never yet seen an egg. To euch of tbe three monkeys Dr. Jordan gave an egg. tbe first that any of them had ever seen. Baby Mono, descended from egg eating ancestors, bandied bis egg with all tbe Inherited expertness of a long developed in stinct. He cracked It with his upper teeth, making a bole In It, and sucked out all Its substance. Then, holding the eggsuell up to tbe light and see ing there was no longer anything in It be threw It away. All this be did mechanically, automatically and just as well with tbe first egg as with any other be afterward bad. And all eggs since given him be has treated In the same way. Tbe monkey Bob took bis egg for some kind of nut. He broke It with his teeth and tried to pull off the shell. When tbe inside ran out and felt on the ground he looked at it for a mo ment in bewilderment, then with both bands scooped up the yolk and tbe sand mixed with It and swallowed it. Then be stuffed tbe shell into his mouth. This act was not instinct; It was reason. He was not familiar by inherited instinct with eggs. He would handle one better uext time, however. Reason very often makes mistakes at first, but when it is trained It becomes a means far more valuable and power ful than instinct. Tbe third monkey, Jocko, tried to eat his egg In much the same way that Bob did; but, not liking tbe taste, he threw it a Way. St. Nicholas. EASY MONEY. Picked Up by the Sharp Chap Who Bet . on a Word. Just by way of showing how easy it Is for some men to pick ui a few dol lars by tbeir wits a young fellow strolled into a cafe tbe other after noon and, joining in conversation that was being carried on by convivial spirits, declared be was the most "in fortunate" Individual on earth. He immediately began telling a story of his personal troubles, but before be bad got tbe narrative well under way there was a cborus of Interruptions, and tbe talkative young man was po litely informed tbat bis English need ed revising, since be should have used tbe word "unfortunate" instead of ''in fortunate.' The newcomer Insisted that infortu nate was the correct word to use, and tbe argument waxed warm. Finally, with a show of beat, tbe young man who started the trouble declared tbat while he bad only a few dollars he would wager them that be was cor rect. So anxious were his friends to lay wagers with him that be did not have money enough to meet all tbe de mands, but be succeeded in putting tip $15 in separate small bets. Tbe men who were certain that the garrulous young man was wrong In tbe use of the word infortunate sent out for a dictionary only to find that they bad been "stung" on a "sure thing" bet, tbe big book on spelling showing that infortunate. Is perfectly proper and means unfortunate. "Yes," said the winner of tbe bets as be pocketed bis new portion of wealth. "I have won money on that before. I collected $10 this afternoon on a similar wager." Philadelphia Record. Flying Fishes. A dazzling silvery splendor per vades tbe surface of the body of the best known species of the flying fish. Tbe summit of its head, its back and its sides are of azure blue. This blue becomes spotted upon the dorsal fin, the pectoral fin and the tail. This fish is the common prey of tbe sea birds and the more voracious fishes, such as the shark. Its enemies abound in air and water. If it succeeds in es caping tbe Charybdis of the water the chances are in favor of its meeting, its fate in the Scylla of tbe atmos ' If it escapes the jaws of the sb will probably fall to tbe share seagull. :, Too Honest. ' WoggsYoung Smith has fail business again. I'm sorry for th but too close adherence to high ) pies ruined him. Boggs Ho Woggs He advertised, "Our pi is thoroughly tested before It the factory." which is a very hard thing to live up to when you are man ufacturing dynamite. Puck. Quite at Home. Bacon And did you feel at borne traveling In Russia? Egbert Ob, quite at home. When tbe brakemen called out tbe stations I couldn't understand them any better than I can over here. Yonkers Statesman. Thousand Dollar Illustration Income, $1,000; expenditure, $909.99 happiness. Income, $1,000; expendltnre. $1,000.90 misery. Income, $1,000; expenditure. $1,500 pxy time. Puck. Poor Living. Madder Brown-There goes old Dau ber. He's living on his reputation. Maulstick-No w onder he looks so thin. -Illustrated Bits. IK.. he Athena: Company lanni t!!.r. V-."M i.n.i ays-si. ,-, 7,' i.r.ii. i'.V; is; v;tM Post Building, Main Street, Athena, Oreo. .1 1.... Farm I nnr.c anrl IMf 1 Drrmorf 1 I I Ul III L.UIIUJ UIIU VHIJ I vpvi lJr, Listed for Sale at Right Prices Good wheat land, 800 acres five miles Southwest of Pen dleton 500 acres in wheat, which goes with the place. It all lies in one body and is level enough for any kind of machinery. Plenty of water. Price, $24 per acre if bought within the next two months, A real bargain for some one. Four sections of wheat land in Township One, Morrow county, can be had for $25 per acre. Well watered and all fenced 2OO0 acrestillable and level enough for a com bine. Owner will either sell or exchange for Portland suburban property. 480 acres of finest wheat land in Umatilla county and highly improved, canjbe'had ' now for $85 per acre $15 be low adjacent lands. A splen did opportunity. ""'El v. a. We have a first-class Sta-', tionery Steam Threshing out- ' ' fit for sale cheap. Full equip-; ment and ready for the field. ,. . 4' Ot -0 iV 'lj ij i: Should you want choice city i property, see us. we naveiiw " -'ho-j Property bought, sold and ex;' v, changed in all parts of Oregon ,(i , ,;...; and Washington. Box 274, 5 n ; 'Phone, 355. iii V..iWii. iii.jii riii iii juiii ,.i"L ..irniiLJniri ...iiti m imnjiim.ii, .. .. jWi j'H 0 ' 'iw't'"l;'''.j ( : : r ' 1 1 ---------- sV Cures ry AH Kidney and Bladder Diseases iney Cure will positively cure any case of Madder disease that is not beyond the :dicine. No medicine can do more. ii juu notice any irregularities, commence taking Foley's Kidnty Cure at once and avoid a fatal malady. A Harohant Cured After Having Given Up Hop. Foley & Co., Chicago. s Gentlemen: I was afflicted with Kidney tad Bladder trouble for six years and had tried numerous preparations without getting any relief and had given up hope of ever being cured when FOLEY'S KIDNEY CURE was recommended to me. After using one bottle I could feel the effect of it, and after taking six fifty-cent bottles, I was cured of Kidney and Bladder trouble and have not felt so well for the past twenty years and I owe it to FOLEY'S KIDNEY CURE. James Smith, Bentons Ferry, V. Va. A Veteran of the Civil War Cured After Ten Yoara of Suffering. R. A. Cray, J.P., of Oakville, Ind., writes: Most of the time for ten years I was confined to my bed with some disease of the kidneys. It was so severe I could not move part of the time. I consulted the best medical skill available, but got no relief until FOLEY'S KIDNEY CURE was recommended to me. I am grateful to be able to say that it entirely cced me." Refuse Substitutes Two Sizes. 50 Cents and $1.00