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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 1914)
THE GAZETTE-TIMES, HEPPNER. ORE., THURSDAY. 1EC. 31. 10U PACK TWO THE GAZETTE-TIMES. The Heppner Oaiette, Established March SO. 1SS3. t , The Heppner Times, Established Nov- 18Consoildated February IS, 1912. V AWTKR CRAWFORD, Editor and Proprietor. Issued everv Thursday morning, and entered at the Postolilce at Heppner, Oregon, as second-class matter. SUBSCRIPTION KATES: One Tear. U 50 Six Months. 75 Three Months 50 Sinele Copies 05 THE SPEAKERSHIP. ADVERTISING RATES Display, transient, running less than one month, first insertion, per inch, aiihseauent insertions. 12 l-2c; displav, regular, 12 l-2c; locals, first Insertion, per line, 10c: subsequent Insertions, per line, sc.; loage resolu tions, ner line. 5c: church socials and all advertising of entertainments conducted for pay, regular rates. MORROW COV.NTY OFFICIAL PAPER Thursday, December 31, 1914. A CASE IX POIXT. The recent report of the State's experts made the treasurer of Wheel er county short $7000; it further stated that since the report of the experts had been made the "short age" had been paid. It would ap pear, however, that there was no shortage in fact, for when the ex perts appeared on the scene to make . their examination of the Wheeler county official records, the treasurer held in his hands this balance which he had not deposited in the bank and the deficit was only technical and should never have been reported against that official. Apparently this was a case of the experts having to report something on somebody to show that they were earning their money. In this connection, also, it is stated that the county court of Wheeler county considers the bill of the Port land experts who made the examina tion as being exorbitant. It is eight times the amount charged by pre vious experts for similar work done not many months before when the court had the privilege of making their own terms and arrangements with the accountants. This is another case in point. It is further proof that the office of State Expert should be abolished Retrnchement and economy can be gin here. So far as we have been able to learn, there has not been an instance where these Portland ex perts have saved any money to the counties. This is bound to be so as the law provides they shall receive ten dollars per day for their work and there is no one to say how many hours they shall work or how much labor they must perform each day. This Is certainly one job that should be under the control of the county court of each county. The court is in position to get this work done to the best advantage when it has the say regarding who shall do it. As in Wheeler county, as in Mor row, Hood River, Marion, Washing ton, and in fact practically all the counties of the state it has cost from twice to three times as much to get the work done as it formerly did under the arrangements made with private experts. Surely the taxpay ers have a right to demand some trimming of expenses here. Many Oregon counties are com plaining about the state accountants who come unasked to expert the county books and charge extortionate prices for doing it. The price charged in Wheeler county for this year's ex perting by these fellows was eight times as high as Max Crandall, one of the best experts in Oregon, used to charge. Some increase, eh! Fossil Journal. Great Britain has received stern warning from the United States con cerning her meddling with Ameri can shipping, and the note of our government is intended for the whole allied forces. There has been an un warranted interference with the ocean commerce from this country by the British fleet and the government at Washington says it must cease. The cost of experting the books of Marion county for the past year by the Accounting department of the state insurance commission was $1, S23.ll as against an average cost in the past of about $300.00. Simply another of the beauties of govern ment as compared with private enterprise. It is said that a Joplin, Mo., man has discovered a process of turning water into gold. We do not know anything about the Joplin man's pro cess, but In very familiar ways this transformation has been worked to the building of many a colossal for tune. Telegram. The Pendleton East Oregonian says the United States will never hare cheaper beef as long as land prices soar and the packers have it in their power to adjust prices to the growers and to the consumer ac cording to their own sweet fancy. Jonathan Bourne, Jr., in an ar ticle In Colliers, warns the American people against the present tendency toward bureauocracy. He gays that the inevitable result of the present course is - the development of a mon archy in fact If not in main. It takes 120 barrels of flour to make a carload. Better hurry with that donation. A big fight is on over the speaker ship of the next house of representa tives. Ben Selling, of Portland seems to be the choice of the Oregon ian and the Multnomah county dele gation for the place, while Allen H. Eaton, of Eugene, and a representa tive from Lane county since 1907, is claiming the support from over the state. The Oregonian makes the an nouncement that Selling Is in the lead and will be chosen, and there is much talk emanating from the Eaton headquarters that the Port land papers, especially the Oregonian have been unfair to Mr. Eaton in not allowing him a hearing through their columns. This is a matter in which the peo ple outside of Portland and Multno mah county are much interested. It undoubtedly effects the redisricting of the state, and as Multnomah county will try to get a bill through that will give that section much more power in the legislature than it al ready has, (and this is more than they are entitled to) it is well for the balance of the state to get busy and put a few blocks in the way of the game. As a sample of what is being un dertaken, the following quotation is given from a recent editorial in the Oregnnian: "The total population of the state. according to the Commercial Club's figures, is 795,587. Multnomah county, then, has a little more than one-third of the population of Oregon within its borders. "Under the present system with a total of 90 members in the legis lature Multnomah county should have 30 senators and representa- thes." This is given as a hint to the rest of the state and points the way to what Multnomah county may ask for. The single city of Portland now sends 20 men to the legislature. It has 12 members of the house and 6 members of the senate. In addition it has the Multnomah-Clackamas joint place in the house and the Mult- nomah-Clackamas-Columbia joint place in the senate, which two mem bers not only represent Portland but nearly actually live in Portland. If under the proposed redistricting the "injustice" to Multnomah coun ty Is removed by giving Portland 30 legislators instead of 20, or one-third the entire membership of the house and senate, the additional ten will have to come off the up-state mem bership. For example, if all counties were to be reduced to the same basis of representation as that given to Mult nomah county as per basis suggested In the Oregonian, 1 legislator might have to represent Sherman, Gilliam and Morrow counties, instead of, as at present, 2. For here in substance is the deft Portland argument: "We have 277,183 population and only 20 legislators. This is one leg islator for every 13,859 of popula tion. Sherman county has 4,207 people for 1 legislator, Gilliam coun ty 3,815 and 1 legislator, and Mor row county has 4,292. "If, now, Sherman, Gilliam and Morrow counties are 'drought doyvn to the Multnomah basis of representa tion, that of one for each 13,859, their combined population will give them one legislator instead of their present two, plus a joint interest with Umatilla in one more." Now it has heretofore been the habit of the Multnomah county dele gation to name both the president of the senate and the speaker of the house, and In most instances these men are Portlanders, and when it so happened that they were not the in fluence of the big delegation was so strongly asserted that they might just as well have been from among their own number. In other words the Portland delegation has been get ting what it wants, and this new move will only cinch their hold on the legislature all the tighter should it succeed. One good move in the direction of checking the power of Portland over the rest of the state would be to elect Mr. Eaton as chairman of the house. His platform calls for a reduction of 25 percent, and more if possible, in the expense of running the legisla tive session. It calls also for a new legislative procedure that will crip ple gang methods in the future. Mr. Eaton contends that the pres ent chances of election are even be tween him and Mr. Selling, and he is making a strong plea for the support of legislators outside of Portland and hopes to win through their sup port by the country press. It is a struggle between Portland and the counties outside of Portland and the outside counties are entitled to win that the general good of the entire state may be protected and Multno mah county not be allowed to put through extravagant measures for her selfish benefit on the plea of greater population. We are interested from the'stand polnt of being entitled to at least one representative of our own, and in this redistricting process we should. con tend for this and get it. smaller packing houses In Portland and vicinity and would subject all carcasses shipped to Portland for dis tribution to government rules of In spection. It is contended by commission men and small markets that this ordin ance would prohibit such shipments and compel the farmer to sell his stock alive to the Union Stock Yards, It is alleged In the pleadings and made part of this case that the slaughter house of the Union Meat Company is the only plant in this in dustrv that could exist and do bus! ness at Portland. The ordinance Is being fought by all the independent packing firms and many of the retail markets o Portland. It is claimed by the plain tiffs and appellants in this case that the ordinance is in the interest of the meat monopoly, and would tend to raise the price to the consumer while destroying a competitive market for the producer. The plaintiffs In conclusion allege that the burdens and restrictions im posed are such that the Union Meat Co. alone can comply with them. INFLUENCE OK THE FRATER NITIES. Good-bye old 1914. You made your place In history. have PACKING HOUSE MONOPOLY BE FORE SUPREME COURT. The ordinance passed by the city of Portland to regulate the slaughter and sale of meats is before the Su preme Court. It involves the meat Industry of Oregon and Washington, as the ordinance if sustained com- pells enforcement of the rules and regulations provided by the federal government. It would result in wiping out the Mr. Bryan has expressed the view that the fraternal organizations .will prove an effective force for world peace. He admits that after inter national difficulties have reached a crisis the fraternities will be unable to avert a breach, but he argues that prior to such time the international ties of brotherhood would resist ordi nary attempts to sever them. This presumes a strength of international membership of fraternities which does not exist. It also presumes too much on the strengtH of obligations between men who have never met each other face to face. It is proba ble that individual members of fra ternities would be influenced by such obligations to temper the horrors of war when dealing with individuals of the same brotherhood. There have been numerous well-authenticated cases to support this conjecture. But it is doubtful whether fraternal would be stronger than patriotic ties We have seen in the present war the best personal friends on opposite sides. German professors who were regarded as spiritual fathers of Eng lish students are defending the Ger man cause against exceptionally bit ter assaults from their former pupils. International Socialists, who called each other "comrades" and who op enly repudiated patriotism as obso lete narrowness, are on opposite sides of the European conflict, each de fending his country's cause as just There seems to be no sentiment strong enough to break the tics of patriotism. But the fraternal sqcieties of the United States have exerted a remark able influence in mollifying the bit terness of patriotism and sectarian controversies. At an earlier period in our history men of one set of po litical views were socially ostracised by neighbors of another political faith. In the border states, for ex ample, children fought each other in the school because of differences of views on slavery. The antislavery boys were not permitted to court the proslavery girls. Religious preju dices were equally bitter. The de nominations spent more time fighting each other than they did fighting the prince of darkness, or perhaps they thought that they best fought him by fighting each other. The cordial relations now obtaining among the evangelical denominations would have been Impossible two years ago. That the association of men of different religious and political views in fraternal societies had much to do with destroying these bitter preju dices may well be argued. The other day the president quoted Charles Lamb as declaring that he could not hate anybody he really knew. When men met each other in lodges, under favorable conditions, they learned to know and to like each other. They recognized that men could be good at heart and filled with noble aspira tions, regardless of their peculiar beliefs about religion and politics. After men had fraternized it was im possible for them to renew their old hostilities. The present tolerance in religion and politics is probably moro directly due to the influence of fra ternal societies than to any other sin gle cause. Globe-Democrat. EVILS OF STATE REGULATION. Cattlemen in various parts of the state complain that they are driven out of the fine stock business by too much regulation and the evils of growing bureauocracy. As a practical illustration of the working out of the agricultural problems by farmers themselves without state Interference take the action of the Farmers Exchange at Hermiston last week. They decided to form a co-opera tive Bull Association, to secure for the members pure-bred bulls of good milk-producing ancestry, and save expense In buying and prevent in breeding. The Farmers Exchange is work ing this all out for itself and has so far not asked a state law or the Inter vention of the numerous Domestic Animal boards, commissions, ect. More cows and better cows, more and better dairy products, richer and more successful dairy ranches, will be the result of this movement of the hard-headed Farmers Exchange. The theories of bureauocracy are falling down from the federal gov ernment to the state and county af fairs, and the people are revolting 1914 GREETINGS 1915 To Our Customers and Friends: . With best wishes for your prosperity and success for the coming year, we extend to you the GREETING OF THE SEASON and assure you of our earnest desire for a continuance of the cordial relations between us. . Respectfully, PHELPS GROCERY CO. R EMNANT SALE We are going through our stock and throwing on the REMNANT COUN TER all odds, ends and broken lots. We are getting ready for our Annual Inventory and are marking these rem nants at a price that will go. You will find just what you want at a small price. We are still giving 10 per cent, off on Men's and Boy's Suits and Overcoats. Thomson Bros. against the useless tax burdens. The chances are In favor of the Farmers Exchange Bull Association accomplishing more for its members lan all the laws, boards', officials, commissions and bureaus under the shining sun. THE RETRENCHMENT PROGRAM. The business men's delegation from Multnomah county has been holding sessions twice a week for a month trying to map out a retrench ment program that shall cut oft at least a million dollars. They find themselves besieged by all the boards and commissions and expert bodies that have been created in the past to hold their soft jobs and even demands for new sinecures and new appropriations. The Multnomah businessmen In the house tftid senate this time seem not to be the regulation A. B. D. del egation, but are hewing out a stiff program that once put on the skids will be hard to intercept. Five Important consolidation bills to cut out at least a million dollars of fixed changes are being framed and will be put. up to the legislature with the bptlon to pass them or have them initiated. One will put all the various land and water boards and engineering and surveying projects under one head. Another will consolidate the va rious labor and compensation boards and commissions under one head. A third will consolidate all the do- How Is That Cold? We carry a complete line of cough and cold remedies SLOCUM DRUG CO mestlc animal and veterinary func tions nnder one head or board. A fourth will unite the various medical and health boards into a sin gle function or health department. The fifth will consolidate five or six higher educational boards and com missions Into a board of three. . These bills will be constructed to simplify service, eliminate duplica tion, and reduce expense. After donating $450,000 to the Tumalo project, Oregon Is to be gen erously given the same amount out of $12,000,000 collected frcyn sales of Oregon public lands. NEW YEAR GREETINGS. To our many customers and friends, we wish to express our hear ty thanks and appreciation for your liberal patronage and friendship dur ing the past year. With goods as represented and an effort to please, we hope to see you often one and all. May a prosperous and happy new year be your lot. WM. HAYLOR. Don't forget the Poultry Show on the 6, 7, 8, and 9, of January. Attention Knight. The regular Intsallatlon of Doric Lodge No. 20, K. of P. will occur on Tuesday evening, Jan. 4th, and it Is desired that there shall be a good turnout of tho membership on this occasion.
