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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 12, 1935)
PAGE TWO HEPPNER GAZETTE TIMES, HEPPNER, OREGON, THURSDAY, SEPT. 12, 1935. Why the Constitution Contains Restrictive Features As to Territory, as to Commerce, as to the Sac redness of Private Contracts, as to Money. By CALVIN CRUM BAKER Patronizing critics of the pres ent period condescendingly attrib ute many features of the Constitu tion to ignorance, the shortsighted ness, the narrow-mindedness of the Revolutionary fathers. How could they know the tribu lations and problems of modern so ciety? How could they know how necessary and desirable it might be to release debtors from their obligations, either by direct act or by subterfuge? How could they know that it might be expedient to burden commerce to carry out some temporarily expedient re form? The answer is they knew by the best of all sources of information by experience. Hamilton in desper ation cried out, "There is scarcely anything that can wound the pride or degrade the character of an in dependent nation that we., do not experience." Under the confederation states were unblushingly violating their solemn obligations. State legisla tures were engaging in acts de signed to relieve debtors from their debts. Credit was all but destroyed, not because of lack of money but because of the bad faith exhibited by legislative bodies. Commerce was at a low ebb, many states were engaging in desultory commercial warfare. Three states, wishing to punish Great Britain for violation of treaty rights, de cided to close their porta to her commerce. Connecticut immediately threw hers open, and levied import duties against Massachusetts. Pennsyl vania discriminated against Dela ware and New Jersey. New York levied duties against firewood from Connecticut and dairy products from New Jersey. New Jersey re taliated by taxing a lighthouse be longing to New York located on New Jersey soil. Connecticut mer chants formed a league against New York and attempted a severe penalty for violation. Pennsylvania militia, backed by the legislature, attacked the Con necticut settlers in Wyoming Val ley which had been awarded to Pennsylvania. Homes were burned, men killed and wounded. A gueril la warfare raged for months. New England partisans threatened an army to relieve their Yankee breth- :n. Vermont claimed territory in New York as far as the Hudson, and a large part of New Hampshire. Troops were raised and only the good sense of General Washington averted open war. Paper money was issued and re pudiated by the various states, no tably Rhode Island, South Carolina and Georgia sought to penalize those who refused paper at lull value. Judges In Rhode Island who over-ruled the highhanded laws of the state were removed from office. Shay's debtor farmers in Massa chusetts opened armed insurrec tion, finally capitulating to General Lincoln's state army. Small wonder, indeed, that the Federal Constitution, when drawn, contained restrictive clauses. Small wonder that states who have re peatedly attempted mercantilistic policies have found many times that freedom of action is denied them. It is only as expediency and local interest are bound by national policy that performance and sta bility are assured. A popular whim, or mania, may have to give way to stable control. With regard to commerce, the Constitution took from the states the right to control commerce be cause of abuses which had led to petty reprisals which completely de moralized commerce. Congress was given the power to regulate com merce with foreign nations and among the several states and with the Indian tribes. Even in the simple agricultural society of 1789 it was inoonvenient to have the states, as feudal over lords, interfering with trade and commerce. Most commerce was local, and usually became interstate somewhat incidentally as related communities lay on opposite sides of the state line. Historians seem to agree that the commerce of each state was largely with Great Britain rather than be tween the states. The population was small, esti mated at not to exceed four million. In spite of the sparse population ' and relatively self-supporting local' ities, the path to future develop- ment lay through the development of trade and commerce, and the an archy of a feudalized confederation was not conducive to iU develop ment The true significance of commerce has only appeared with the passage of time. The germ of trade exist ing in 1787 grew, slowly at first, and then more robustly until commerce became the outstanding character istic of the age. The development of the railroad net, the economic interrelationship of widely separ ated areas, the gradual develop ment of rate and service regulation of railroads, all bear witness of the importance of interstate commerce. In 1935 a population 3000 per cent greater than that of 1789 occupies the territory of the United States. Each person is busied in an econ omic activity that must involve commerce with other states. Most of our economic activities result in interstate commerce and most of our consumption involves out of state products. States have not lost their desires to exploit the citizens and trade of other states. Not infrequently states under guise of quarantine laws attempt to exclude the foods of other states. California excludes the fruit from Oregon, Montana ex cludes hay from Idaho, and sheep men of Montana exclude Idaho sheep from the Federal forests of Montana on the ground of danger of infection. Without the provisions of the Constitution which placed the con trol of interstate commerce beyond the grasp of states, the country would long since have become feu dalized. Development of industry and commerce would have been slackened and growth stunted. Strangely enough, the present day problem of control of com merce is not a question of state in terference with interstate commerce but a question of Federal control of intrastate commerce. Not only may the states be re strained from interference with in terstate commerce but the Federal Government can be restrained from reaching out into the states and controlling domestic commerce. The more interdependent we be come the more seriously is one state affected by the laws and practices of another. Massachusetts, with advanced child labor laws, found itself un dersold and completely discomfited by Southern states that permitted both white and colored children to be exploited by industry. Imme diately there was a demand that not only interstate, but by subter fuge or otherwise, intrastate com merce be turned over to the regula tion of Congress. This division of commerce into state and interstate presents diffl cult problems from time to time. The line of demarcation U never permanently located. Certain prin ciples are fully established, but others can onlv be announced ab they arise and are disposed of. Winter Short Courses to Be Revived at 0. S. C. Progressive Oregon farmers In terested in gaining first hand know ledge of the latest developments and the most successful methods in the many fields of scientific agricul ture will have an opportunity this winter to attend an agricultural short course of several weeks du ration at Oregon State college, an nounces W. A. Schoenfeld, dean and director of agriculture at the college. Definite dates have not been set, but it is expected that the course will start sometime in January when farm work in Oregon is least pressing and continue for six weeks or possibly longer. While the de tailed outline of the course is not yet complete, work will be available in all of the departments of the school, including farm crops, poul try, dairy and animal husbandry, veterinary medicine, farm manage ment and agricultural economics, horticulture, soils, agricultural en gineering and the new department of fish, game and fur animal man agement The work will all be of a practical nature, applicable to Immediate use on Oregon farms, says Dean Schoenfeld. While all farmers are eligible to attend, the course is be ing designed largely in response to the needs of former 4-H club and Future Farmer members who are not continuing in an educational In stitution but are entering at once the business of farming. AAA Wheat Program 1 Improved Say OSC Men Actual contract signing for the new four-year wneat proauction control program will probably not take place until about the middle of October, according to E. R. Jack- man, O. S. C. extension agronomist, who is heading the educational campaign in Oregon. Mr. Jackman and other extension officials attend ed a regional conference at Boise where they learned details of the new contracts and laid plans for getting the information to the grow ers in advance of the sign-up. In general these Oregon repre sentatives were favorably impressed by the terms of the new plan, they report Growers will be safe in go ing ahead with fall planting on the basis of information already avail able, they believe. The percentage of eduction to be left in contracted or what are now known as "ad justed" acres has been definitely fixed at S per cent The new plan follows the old in all fundamentals, although many minor chaiges designed to simplify operation and make it more prac tical as a semi-permanent program are included. One of these changes permits the taking out of a larger number of poorer acres, rather than a fixed percentage of average acres. A flexible payment plan is includ ed by which the second payment will be held up until the average farm price for most of the year is determined. The amount of the second payment will then he set at the point which will insure parity prices on the amount of each grow er's domestic allotment. Less need for haste in getting the contracts signed is seen this year than was the case previously when first pay ment checks had to await the ac ceptance of the contracts. The first payment under the new plan cannot be made anyway until compliance for 1936 is shown. In summarizing the results of the first three years of wheat adjust ment control the federal leaders at the Boise conference listed three main benefits. First, it brought farmers together. Next, it increased farm income, and finally it was the start of an important land conser vation program. Not all credit for the better price can be given to the wheat plan, the men admitted, al though it has been an Important factor in increasing the cash in come of the American wheat grow er. Rural Aid Service Now Located on OSC Campus Corvallis. Headquarters of the Rural Rehabilitation Service for Oregon have been transferred to the Oregon State campus at Cor vallis and the service placed par tially under the supervision of the O. S. C. extension service, F. L., Ballard, vice-director of extension, announces. Clifford Smith, formerly county agent of Clatsop county, is acting state director of rural rehabilitation in place, having held that position for more than a year. Other mem bers of the staff include Mrs. Clara B. Thompson, associate director in charge of home economics activ ities, and Glenn Weaver, assistant director. Farm families that through some such reason as fire, flood, livestock or crop losses, or sickness have ex hausted their credit facilities, but who can be returned to a self-sus taining status by limited financial aid are eligible for rehabilitation through this service, according to Mr. Smith. Approximately 5000 farm families were granted some form of direct or work relief from various sources in Oregon in the past year, he said. George Scott Takes Up OSC Alumni Leadership Corvallis George Scott, freshman football coach at O. S. C. for the past two years, will take up his new duties as secretary of the Oregon State college alumni association and editor of the Oregon State Month ly here September 15. His appoint m.nt will allow E. C. Allworth. who has been handling the duties of both offices, to give lull time to nis work as manager of the Memorial Union building. Scott is a former uregon state football star, and is rated as one of the smartest and fastest halfbacks the Orange team has ever had. He was graduated from the school of commerce In 1929, and was appoint ed athletic coach and assistant principa at Baker high school. He resigned this position in June, 1933, to become coach of the freshman football team at his alma mater. Miss Eunice Courtwright, known to Oregon State alumni everywhere for her outstanding work as rec ords clerk for the association, will continue in this position under the new managemnt it is announced. Printing in the modern mode as turned out by the Gazette Times shop will please you and attract at tention to your business. IHS 0F PEIIEl ROUND-UP START I Queen of the 1035 Pendleton Round-Dp, Helen Hanscll of Athena, Oregon, beckons one and all to the ' time honored leader of all frontier exhibitions which will be held September 12, 13 and 14. Inviting all lovers of the old West to the 26th annual Pendleton Round-Up, September 12, 13 and 14, Dr. Wilson D. McNary, presi dent of the Pendleton Round-Up Association, draws attention to a seven point program of Improve ment which will make this year's show greater than ever. The points of improvement are: still better bucking contests; the finest "Westward Ho" parade In Round Up history; Increased prize money for contestants; more Indians en camped on the ground?; popular ticket prices; $10,000 spent to im prove grandstands and arena; a larger field of entries In racing, roping and bulldogglng; and a more attractive "Happy Canyon" pageant and night show. "Roosevelt Trophy" and "Phillip Rollins," will have to look to their laurels this year for the Round Up will bave 100 head of backers to draw from. Among them are new discoveries loaded with equine dynamite. . Parade Director George Strand has even sent abroad for boots of a certain cut to insure the histor ical accuracy of one of the man; sections of the "Westward Ho" pa rade which will be staged on Fri day, September 13th. The parade will be sponsored by the granges of Umatilla county this year and, with all the pioneer characters of stagecoach and covered wagon days, will be more elaborate and colorful than ever before. No other western exhibition has as many Indian participants as the Pendleton Round-Up and nowhere Is a parade put on of the caliber of the "Westward Ho," parade In the opinion of thousands who bave seen It The thing that Insures world's championship performers In bronc riding, bulldogglng and roping contests la the $8,000 prize list tor this year's exhibition, the largest amount offered since Just after the World War. In addition, $1,600 worth of merchandise awards are being given. Last year's field of competitors, drawn from nearly every state In the Union and from Canada, numbered 215. This year more than 300 are expected, ac cording to E. N. "Pinky" Boylen, Arena Director, and John Hales, Competitive Events Director. Three of the new bucking hor ses purchased this year by the Round-Up are "Pilot Rock," "Jack 'O Spades" and "Mystery " "Pilot Rock," a 1300 pound sensatlos, was acquired from Walter Smith of Pilot Rock. . The other two, of which great things are expected by Livestock Director Herb Thompson, were acquired at Union, Oregon, Advance reservations, according to Roy W. Rltner, Round-Up as sociation secretary, are tar In ex cess of previous years and a heavy attendance from the East Is In dicated. When the Round-Up makes Its bow September 12. 13 and 14, packed stands are assured. AS THE WORLD MOVES O No greater tribute to the power of advertising can be cited than the large automotive industry of today. Advertis ing was the medium which told the people of the automobile; which created in the people a desire to purchase. It was the medium that brought about quantity production costs to make possible the purchase of an automobile by people of small1 means. O Had the story of the automobile never been told, we of the West might still be travelling by horse and buggy over dirt roads, slowly, laboriously and uncomfortably as the dust or mud in season prevailed. O As the world moves its story is told in ADVERTISING. The intelligent shopper reads, and the intelligent merchant tells.