Morrow county - , , ,.
IF YOU WANT ALL THE NEWS OF MORROW COUNTY WHILE IT IS NEWS, READ THE HEPPNER HERALD. WE PRINT IT FIRST
HEPPNER
VOLUME X
HEPPNER, OREGON, TUESDAY. FEBRUARY 12, 1924.
NUMBER 42
ry
EXPORT LEAGUE MADE
FARMERS, BAXKERS, BISIXESS
MEN JOIX AT LEXINGTON
Committees Appointed to Secure 100
Per Cent Membership
in County
No termer movement having for
its objective the relief of tle farm
ing industry in this county has re
ceived the undivided support of the
farmers themselves, the bankers and
business men of the county to the
extent given the Oregon Export
league, a county unit of which was
made permanent at Lexington last
Saturday. Former movements, in
cluding the Grange, the Farmer's
Union, the Farm Bureau and the
Wheat Growers Co-Operative asso
oiation, have generally failed to at
tract but a small percentage of the
farmers themselves, while bankers
and business men generally either
opposed them or remained luKewarm
regarding their promise for useful
ness. The export league, however, seems
to be in a class by itself in the field
of farmer's organizations and its ob
jective point, the passage of the Mc-Nary-Haugen
bill now before "con
gress is meeting with the unqualified
support of all citizens.
At the Lexington meeting Satur
day a crowd estimated at 500 farm
ers and. others held an all day ses
sion at which the merits of the bill
were thoroughly discussed and a per
manent county organization was
formed, with" the following officers:
R. L. Benge, of Heppner, president;
Henry Smous'e, of lone, vice-president;
C. B. Cox, of Heppner, secretary-treasurer.
The following community commit
teemen were appointed to carry the
membership drive Into every corner
of the county within the next few
days, it being the intention to se
cure a 100 per cent membership in
Morrow county:
Ed Rugg, B. H. Peck, upper Rhea
creek; Ed Reitman, C. R. Gunzell,
Bert Mason, lone; C. D. Morey, Al
pine; Oscar Keithley, Howard An
derson, Eightmile; W. O. Hill, Earl
Eskelson, Lexington; Roy Campbell,
Social Ridge; C. E. Carlson, lower
Dry Fork. These men, with others
appointed later by the chairman, are
expected to enlist any other help
needed to make a thorough canvass
of their communities in a rapid fire
drive and reports from all are ex
pected to be in the"Tiands of Secre
tary Cox at Heppner not later than
next Saturday.
Roy Ritner, of Pendleton, a wheat
farmer and ex-preslden? of the Ore
gon state senate, made a rousing
speech on the export bill (explainlng
its purpose and provisions clearly.
Mr. Ritner raid that overproduction
has something to do with the pres
ent bad situation in the wheat mar
ket but maintained that the work
ings of the present tariff laws, as
they are related to the wheat indus
try are unjust' and unfair to the man
that produce's wheat. Thee being
an exportable surplus of wheat, the
tariff does not help, but the export
plan, the speaker asserted, will
solve the problem. The"world price
of wheat is now fixed in Liverpool
and thatTSrice governs in this coun
try. The export commission will
remedy Tltis unjust condition by es
tablisElng a price for wheat used
for domestic' consumption based on
the prevailing, prices for all the sta
ple commodities which are protect
ed by the present tariff laws. Labor,
Mr. Ritner 'Said, is well organised
and is protected by the tariff and the
Immigration laws. The farmers have
"helped pass these laws which protect
everyBody but himself, causlngjiim
to pay pfoectlve tariff for what he
buys, while" sells his product on
a free trade basis. Thla must be
changed before the6 farmer and the
country generally can enjoy real
prosperity. High freight rates on
farni products were aTso named by
the speaker as a contributing cause
to low wheat prices. "Mr. Ritner al
so paid" "his respects to the politi
cians and officials who advocate di
versified farming as the farmer's sal
vation. "President Coolidge "sent
Eugene Myer and Frank Mondell on
tour of the "wheat states to find
out what ia iiifi matter with agri
culture," the speake" said, "and af
ter holding hearings all over the
west they reported to the president
that all the farmers needed to do
was to diversify their crops.
"as I drove over from Pendle
ton this morning," the speaker con
tinued, ''1 longed to have Messrs.
Myer and Mondeirwuh m,e so 1
could ask them if they thought the
farmers of Morrow and Umatilla
counties could make a living raising
oranges or peanuts on these wheat
lands?" Based on the prices of
what he has to buy the farmer
should be receiving $1.50 a bushel
for his wheat today, he said.
. w. W. Harrah, another "dirt
farmer" of Umatilla county and an
able speaker, followed with the
statement that the passaa of thif
bill will provehe easy job. Unan
imity of opinion throughout the
wheat states and that opinion force
fully expressed not only In meetings
like this but in private letters and
telegrams addressed to -the president
and our congressional delegation
are absolutely necessary. Mr. Har
rah called for an expression from
the audience asking all who would
publicly pledge themselves to write
a letter or two to hold up the right
hand. There was a fair response.
Mr. Harrah declared that outside the
advance in land values there has not
been 2 per cent profit in raising
wheat in eastern Oregon In the past
20 years. He deplored the fact that
some politicians, some big business
interests and some farmers' organi
zations are enemies of this bill and
that hard work may be expected in
ordef to win.
Fred Bennion, county agent of
Umatilla county, spoke, further ex
plaining the measure. He expressed
the hope that President Coolidge
will yet see the light and get be
hind the measure with his influ
ence. "With all due respect to the
president," Mr. Bennion said, ."we
must remember that he came from a
state where the manufacture of
tombstones is the leading industry
and that the question of living pric
es for wheat is not a live issue.
W. P. Mahoney also spoke brief
ly, declaring that to him this meas
ure promises more , in the way of
real help to the farmer than any
other plan he has heard suggested,
he declared himself for the bill and
ready t odo his utmost to help put
it over.
The importance of private letters
from the people to the president and
members of congress insisting .that
the relief promised by the McNary
Haugen bill be granted to the wheat
farmers was stressed by every speak
er and the newspapers of the county
were asked to publish the proper ad
dresses of the president and mem
bers of the Oregon delegation In
congress. These addresses will be
found, in another column of this pa
per. TO WILSON'S MEMORY
APPROPRIATE SERVICE HELD
AT SCHOOL THURSDAY
Local Sneakers Pay Tribute to the
Great War President and ....
Peace Advocate
Heppner citizens paid a deserved
tribute to the memory of Woodrow
Wilson, ex-president of th(e United
States, last Thursday afternoon
when the auditorium at the high
school was crowded with an audience
gathered to honor the high ideals
and undying devotion to a principle
of one of the nation's greatest citi
zens. Politics and differences regarding
national and international policies
and problems were forgotten and all
united in giving due praise to the
high purposes of he who guided the
Bhip of state through the stormy
period of the world war.
The service, which was not de
tremined on until the prevloous af
ternoon, was not well advertised in
the community or the auditorium
would have no doubt proved inade
quate. The following appropriate pro
gram was given:
Selection High School Orchestra
Song High School Chorus.
Prayer Rey. F. R. Spaulding
Reading of 23rd Psalm Mrs. Shurte
QOURSCORE and leven years ago our fathers brought forth
upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and
dedicated to the reposition that all men are created equal
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that
nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long
endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have
come to dedicate a portion of that field as a jinal resting place for
those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is
altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a
larger sense we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not
hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled
here, have consecrated it far above our power to add or detract, .
the world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here,
but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living,
rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they
who -fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for
us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that
from these honored dead we take increased devotion, to that cause
for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we
here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain;
that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom,
and that government of the people, by the, people, and for the
people, shall not perish from- the earth.
E
NEW COMMUNITY HALL
Dan McDevitt and Barney Doher-
ty, Jr., two well known young men
of the Juniper canyon neighborhood,
were in town Friday and made- this
office a pleasant visit.
Juniper neighborhood is coming
to the front, the boys report, and
the community life will soon be ad
vanced by the completion of a com
munity hall near the Ed McDaid
ranch, a central location for the
neighborhood. The first load of ma
terial was put on the ground Fri
day and active work will be com
menced at once. The new building
will be 30 x 60 feet in size, the
main hall being 30 x 50, the re
maining space being occupied by a
kitchen and. other conveniences. The
building will be U3ad as a real com
munity center where the people of
the neighborhood can get together
on all proper occasions." Church
services, social entertainments,
dances, farmers' meetings, in fact
all meetings necessary for the ad
vancement of the community will be
held there.
Special rates were secured on 'the
lumber and other materials, but the
cost of the material alone will reach
about $1,000.00, while the hauling,
carp(euter work and all other labor
connected with the enterprise will
be donated.
The building is financed by the
Juniper Hall association and shares
of the alue of $5.00 each are being
sold.
It is expected the building will be
completed by the 17th of March,
when it will be opened with a big
celebration of St. Patrick's day.
The Burgoyne flouring mill at
Lexington was the scene of a fire
last Thursday afternoon, the blase
starting from a hot box while the
mill was in operation. For a time
it waa feared the entire structure
would be destroyed, but the new
chemical extinguisher recently In
stalled by the town council proved
adequate and the blaze was put out
with damages estimated at less than
$100.00.
Song Church Chorus
Address r"Wilsoa the Man" C. E.
Woodson
Song High School Chorus
Address "Wilson the President"
S. E. Notson -
Address "Wilson the Christian"
Rer. Livingstone
Violin Solo Miss Steele
Address "Wilson the Idealist"
Rer. Spaulding
Song Church Chorus
"S
AS OTHERS SEE US"
A correspondent of the Iriuh
Times, published at Dublin, Ire
land, who has been visiting this
country and making a study of the
workings of the national prohibition
law has written a lengthy article for
his paper, giving his impressions of
prohibition as he found it in New
York City. On the ground that It
is sometime good for us to "see our
selves as others see us," and not by
way of endorsing all of the opinions
and deductions expressed, the Herald
publishes a few excerpts from the ar
ticle, which is headed, "1,000,000
Drinks Per Day";
"At a conservative estimate there
are, on an average, one million alco
holic drinks consumed in New York
every day amongst a local population
of seven millions; in other words,
any man who frequents, any medium
priced resaurant in New York can
have a cocktail or a highball, or a
bottle of beer there, it he is willing
to pay a couple of shillings for it. If
he were to trace that drink to Its
source, he would certainly find that
it was not from the last bottle the
proprietor had stored up before Pro
ohibitlon (that old gag died long
ago), but it was the product of a
quietly working, clear-thinking, co
operative organization of men with a
big job on their hands, growing more
and more powerful In the execution
of it. The late and deeply respected
President Harding said the Prohibi
tion question would not be settlod in
twenty years. The truth of that ut
terance, and- all he meant by It, will
only be realized over that period of
time.
"It is not tho passionate utterances
of Governor Pinchot about a few
thousand or a few hundred thousand
(as he generously amended it) as
sorted lawbreakers holding up the
proper functioning oT the Voltitead
Act (and which, to take him literal
ly, must be driving very many mil
lions at least to join the assortment).
It is not mpe rairy persiflage,' of
this kind that ia going to get to the
root of the proper control of the li
quor question. There Is a demand
tor it amongst all classes of people..
It is not possible to ignore this fact,
and evidences are not lacking thru
out the cities of the United States.
Do the thinking sections of all par
ties on the liquor question pause to
think of the growing tendencies of
the citizen to consume liquor where
and when he can get It? Of tho
steadily-acquired taste for prohibited
drink amongst the youth of the coun
tryall the more desirable because
(Continued on Page Five)
AMOS ACQUITTED OF MURDER
CHARGE AT CAXYOX CITY
C. L. Sweek has returned from
Canyon City where he attended
court last week as principal attor
ney for Claude Amos, who was
charged with murder in the first de
gree for the shooting of Carl Mink
ler at Monument last fall.
The trial lasted five days and
was bitterly contested, a special
prosecutor have been employed to
assist the prosecuting attorney. The
defense set up the claim of tempor
ary insanity due to the alleged fact
that Minkler had broken up the
Amos home by undue intimacy with
Mrs. Amos.
The men engaged in a fight at a
dance at Monument and after Mink
ler had given Amoa a beating the lat
ter secured a rifle and shot his an
tagonist dead. The Jury was out
25 hours and finally brought in a
verdict of aquittal on the grounds
of self defense. It is understood
the "unwritten law" covering such
cases was s. factor in the verdict.
Mr. Sweek, who was accompanied
by Mrs. Sweek on the trip, says he
never before experienced such roads
as he found between Olex and Con
don and between Dayville and John
Day. His car mired clown frequent
ly and he was pulled out by teams,
Cowboy's lariats and auy other
available power.
Mr. Sweek was assisted by Otis
Patterson, of Canyon, in the de
fense. KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS TO
CELEBRATE JUBILEE
Doric Lodge, Knights of Pythias,
will observe the 60th anniversary or
Golden Jubilee of the founding of
that order and also the 40th anni
versary of the institution of the lo
cal lodge, on Tuesday evening, Feb
ruary 19th.
An open meeting of the lodge will
be held to which the public is cor
dially invited. There will be four
short addresses given on the cardinal
principles of the order, as follows:
Friendship, Charity, Benevolence and
Patriotism.
MORROW GO. RANCHES
IK M. STl'AHT ACQUIRES
MATLOCK, tVHETSTO.VcT TRACTS
Will Reside Here ami Develop Model
Country Home and Fine
Stock "Farm
. Perhaps the moat Important real
estate transaction involving Morrow
county realty In recent years waB
closed this morning when D. M.
Stuart, Portland capitalist, became
the owner of the T. J. Matlock and
Whetstone ranches located on Hln
ton creek, a few miles east of Hepp
ner. The deal Includes tho 1280-acre
Matlock ranch, known as one of tho
best appointed stock farms in the
county, situated on the Oregon
Washington highway seven miles
east from Heppner, and tho Whet
stone ranch of 1,000 acres adjoin
ing. The Whetstone tract Is most
ly first-class range land with some
creek bottom ' while the Matlock
tract Is well improved with more
than 100 acres of fine alfalfa land
under irrigation.
The combined tracts will consti
tute one of the best stock farms In
the county and It Is understood Mr,
Stuart Is already planning extneslve
Improvements which will make the
place onp of the model fine stock
farms In Oregon if not in the entire
Pacific northwest.
I. L. Hanna. of the firm of Sym-onds-Johnson
Co., Portland, handled
the deal, which means much to the
better stock movement In Morrow
county.
Mrs. Matlock will make her home
in Portland after about March 1st,
at which time Mr. Stuart expects to
take over the properties.
Not without Interest to the good
road movement in Oregon is the
statement from Mr. Stuart that
without he fine macadam highway
compleed last summer past the Mat
lock ranch he would not have con
sidered the investment he has just
made In Morrow county proptriT.
6
LOCAL EXPORT LEAGUE
FARMERS AXD BUSIXESS MEN
BACK McXARY-HAUGEX BULL
Mass Sleeting at Arlington Thursday
Pledges Its Unanimous
Support
That the farmers of Gilliam coun
ty are fully awake to the necessity
for doing something to better their
financial condition was plainly shown
at the mass meeting at Arlington
last Thursday when representative
farmers from all parts of the county
met to discuss the McNary-Haugen
wheat export commission bill and to
organize a county unit of the Oregon
Export Commission league. That tho
leading business men and bankers
of the county are equally interested
with the farmers in putting the
measure across was also placed
I plainly in evidence by the presence
of representatives of practically all
lines of business from every town in
the counlj', many of whom had driv
en 40 or CO miles literally "through"
roads well nigh impassable and .
which Frank Hurlburt described as
(using that short but expressive
word that is supposed to sizzle.
The Arlington opera house waa
crowded to the floors with citizens
who seemed to know just what they
wanted and with a rather clear un
derstanding of how to go about to
get it. There was no division dur
ing th(e meeting. There was plenty
of discission and suggestions from
farmers, bankers and business men
and it all crystallzed into a set of
ringing resolutions endorsing the
McNary-Haugen measure and urging '
our representatives in congress to
leave nothing undone to accomplish
its passage. Copies of the resolu
tions wore ordered wired to each in
dividual member of the Oregon dele
cgation In congress, to President
Coolldge, to Senator Norrls, chair
man of the senate agricultural com
mittee, and to Secrotary of Agricul
ture Wallace.
Mark Watherford, big wheat
farmer of Shuttlcr flat, and formerly
a practicing attorney at Albany, was
chairman of the meeting and T. A.
Weinke, of Condon, was secretary.
Mr. Weatherford, In his introductory
remarks, after pointing out the pur
pose of the meeting and the urgent
need for immediate relief for tho
wh(eat farmer, said that if the McNary-Haugen
bill passes and proves
successful It will cause all the Dem
ocrats to become protectionists and
If It does not pass it will cause all
the Republicans to becoomte free
traders. The remark brought forth
applause.
E. R. Jackman, of O. A. C, was
present and to him fell the duty of
explaining tho measure which he did
In a lucid and satisfactory way.
Many questions were asked the
speaker to bring out some point not
entirely clear to the questioners.
T. A. Weinke was called to tho
floor and responded with a brief but
snappy speech declaring that the
welfare of every resident of tho coun
ty was conditioned on the success of
the farmer. "I am for thla bill,"
declared Mr. Weinke, "first, last and
all the time because I believe it 1o
be a measure of justice long due tho
farming Industry. I am Republican
and as a citizen I am first for my
country and second for my party. At
the present time I am for President
Coolldge but should he fail to givo
this measure his heartiest support
when the test conies I say here and
now that I am NOT with him auy
longer." The speaker's statement
was heartily cheered.
Permanent officers elected at th?
meeting were; Mark Weatherford,
of Arlington, president; James F.
Dyer, of Mayvllle, vice-president; T.
A. Weinke, of Condon, aecretary
treasurer. At the close of the meeting prac
tically every man in the ball signed
the membership roll.
Chas. li. Cox, a member of the
board of directors of the Oregon Ex
ooort league, W. P. Mahoney, of the
First National- Bank, W. II. Pad
berg, big wheat grower of Rhea,
creek and a representative of the
Herald were present at tlys meetlnf
from Hppner.