-LEXINGTON WHEATFIELD
S. A. THOMAS, Publisher
LEXINGTON OREGON
NEWS OF THE WEEK
In a Condensed Form for Onr
Busy Readers.
A Resume of the Less Important but
Not Less Interesting Events
of the Past Week.
Governor Pattison, of Ohio, ia im
proving. An alliance of Britain, France and
Russia is proposed.
The famine in Japan grows worse
and disease follows hunger.
Anthracite coal operators have split
on the wage scale tq be paid miners.
Heney says Bristol charges are base
less and Bristol will retain his office.
Twenty-six miners perished in the
Century coal mine disaster in West
Virginia.
The Interstate Commerce commission
is investigating underbilling frauds by
shippers.
It is claimed that only the details of
the Algeciras conference remain to be
settled. .Roosevelt is credited with
solving the problem.
The government has given Hermann
a bill of particulars concerning the let
ter books destroyed, but his lawyers
continue to delay the trial.
Attorney General Hadley, of Mis
souri, has called a truce on Rockefeller
while the latter may visit his new
grandson. Hadley says he can get all
the evidence he needs without John D.
anyway.
The German army is reported ready
for war.
Russia is on the eve of another rebel
outbreak.
The condition of Governor Pattison,
of Ohio, is grave.
A snowslide killed six miners near
Granite, Colorado.
Roosevelt has proposed a compromise
in the Moroccan question which does
not please France.
James A. Fee may be appointed
United States district attorney for Ore
gon if Bristol loses out.
The conference between miners and
operators of the anthracite coal district
has failed to reach a wage agreement.
It is now generally admitted that be
tween 40 and 50 persons lost their
lives in the recent Denver & Rio Grand
wreck in Colorado.
The sidewheel steamer Olympian,
which was being towed from San Fran
cisco to New York, was wrecked in the
Straits of Magellan.
Latest reports say nearly 2,000 were
killed and 6,500 injured by the earth
quake in Formosa. All survirovrs are
in a stale of extreme destitution.
An explosion in a coal mine near
Fairmont, W. Va., is known to have
killed 15 miners and injured 25 others.
From 25 to 75 are missing and their
fate is unknown.
Ex-Chief Engineer Wallace favors a
sealevel canal.
Nineteen liveslwere lost in a storm
on the Gulf of Mexico.
A compromise at the Moroccan con
ference is now promised.
Daring robbers have taken $432,500
from a Moscow, Russia, bank.
The price of bottles is to be increased
5 per cent by the manufacturers.
Jerome says giving insurance money
to campaign committees is not larceny.
Several Bhipwrecks have resulted
from the recent storm on the Atlantic
coast.
Attending physicians now believe
John D. Spreckles has a chance of re
covering. Total collections in the United States
from all sources for the relief of starv
ing Japanese now reaches $120,000..
Objection to the appointment of W.
B. Hoggatt as governor of Alaska may
result in the selection of some one else.
Bellamy Storer, recenlty recalled
ambassador to Austria, is said to have
greatly offended the Jews while in Vi
enna. John D. Rockefeller is on the verge
of insanity from worry. This ia caused
by the sickness of his daughter and
brother and the continual dodging of
process servera.
The forty-fifth annual convention of
the National Educational association
will be held in San Francisco July 7
to 14. Railroads have granted special
round trip rates from all parts of the
United States. Those attending from
the East have also been given the priv
ilege of going by way of Portland one
way wiht stopover permits. '
Witte will soon resign as premier of
Russia.
ADVERTISE NORTHWEST.
School Teachers Asked to Enter Com
petitive Story Contest.
To the teachers of America: To evi
dence itsappreciation of the National
Educational association's selection of
the Pacific coast as the scene of its next
annual convention at San Francisco,
California, July 9th to 13th inclusive,
and to encourage delegates to include
Portland and Oregon in their itinerary,
the Portland Commercial club offers
FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS in
prizes for artictes on Portland. Oregon,
and this section of the United States,
as follows :
First prise, $1,000; second prize, $500;
third prize, $250; fourth prize, $200;
fifth prize, $175; sixth prize, $150;
seventh prize, $125; eighth prize, $110;
ninth prise, $100; tenth prize, $90;
ten prizes of $75 each, $750; ten
prizes of $50 each, $500; ten prizes of
$25 each, $250; twenty prizeB of $15
each, $300; twenty prizes of $10 each,
$200; judges, to be acceptable to the
officers of the National Educational
association, $300; grand total, $5,000.
In order to be eligible for competiton
these articles must appear in a regular
edition of some newspaper or other
publication printed outside of the states
of Oregon and Washington, said publi
cation complete to be in the hands of
the judges not later than October 1,
1906. These articles must be sealed
and addressed to: Teachers' Contest,
care Portland Commercial club, Port
land, Oregon.
They will be opened by the judges
Prizes will be awarded strictly on the
merits of the articles. Contestants can
treat any phase of the subject that ap
peals to them natural resources,
scenery, irrigation, agriculture and
horticulture, history, educational and
religiouB advantages, climatic or social
conditions, etc. or in a more compre
hensive vein. The judges will be abso
lutely untrammeled in making their
decisions.
This offer is made, not so much with
a view of having the country "boomed"
in a common acceptation of that term,
as to have the teachers of the country
become more familiar with this portion
of the United States and give expres
sion to their views in such articles as
will be acceptable to papers throughout
the entire Union.
CANNOT EXPEL SMOOT.
Two-Thirds Majority of Senate is Re
quired, and is Impossible.
Washington, March 23. It seems
certain, in the light of recent develop
ments, that the campaign against Sen
ator Reed Smoot, of Utah, will fail.
Mr. Smoot's enemies have been hoping
to oust him by a majority vote of the
senate, but senators who have given at
tention to his case find that the consti
tution stipulates that no senator shall
be deprived of bis seat except by a two
thirds vote of the senate.
The anti-Smoot senators have been
taking the position that the protests
were filed against Mr. Smoot before he
took his seat, and, inasmuch as he was
seated undefprotest, the majority vote
can be applied, since it takes only a
majority to exclude a senator-elect.
But this view is not generally concur
red in by senators. Mr. Smoot was
seated, and, having been permitted to
take his seat, the only way to get him
out is to expel him, and this requires
a two-tbirds vote.
It seems absolutely certain that two
thirds of the senate is not in favor of
unseating the Mormon senator, prob
ably not a majority, and for this reason
it is believed the much discussed case
will fall flat.
Iowa May Oust Standard.
Des Moines, March 23. The house,
by a vote of 48 to 12, today passed the
anti-discrimination bill, which is in
tended to oust the Standard Oil from
Iowa or compel a revision of its busi
ness methods. The bill prohibits dis
criminating rates for oil and is pattern
ed after the Missouri law. It provides
a fine of $5,000 and imprisonment for
violation. Representative Cummings,
the author, in presenting the bill, as
serted that the Standard Oil company
had made a price of 4 cents a gallon
for oil in his home town recently, in
order to drive out competition.
Italian Island Quaking.
New York, March 23. A cable dis
patch to the Herald from Palermo says :
There have been 21 earthquak shocks
on the island of Ustica daring the last
three days. The population lives in
constant terror. A great valley has
been formed in the center of the island
and all the houses have been demol
ished. The shocks were vertical, not
undulatory, and were accompanied by
loud subterranean rumblings. The last
fhocka, which occured yesterday, fin
ished the work of destruction. Panic
seized upon the 2,000 inhabitants.
; New Drydock for Puget Sound.
Washington, March 23. Secretary
Bonaparte appeared before the house
committee on naval affairs today and
discussed naval appropriations. He
urged an appropriation for a stationary
drydock on Puget sound.
IN THE NATIONAL
Friday, March 23.
Washington, March 23. Spooner
today concluded bis speech in the sen
ate on the railroad rate bill, and the
fortifications appropriation bill was
taken up and passed. It carries an ap
propriation ot $125,000 for the erection
of a powder manufactory, and Daniel
spoke at length in support of the pro
vision. He declared that the nation
was, entirely at the mercy of a powder
truBt, and urged that the amendment
should be adopted as a safeguard. Aa
passed, the bill carries an appropria-'
tion of $5,278,993. Tillman also spoke
on the railroad rate bill, suggesting
that the Interstate Commerce commis
sion should have authority to enjoin
the railroads from increaalng their
rates. He said the auggesion had been
made by a "corn field lawyer" in Ok
lahoma. The following bids were also passed:
Creating a steamboat inspectors' dis
trict in Alaska; providing for filling in
the naval station at Honolulu; author
izing the Chicago, Milwaukee A St.
Paul railroad to construct bridges serosa
the Missouri, Yellowstone, Snake and
Columbia rivera.
Washington, March 23. The con
sideration of the legislative appropria
tion bill in the house today was e'nliv
ened by a small spat between Prince
and Tawney, a proposition to buy a pri
vate C!r for the president, which waa
ruled out of order, and a jeering speech
by Smith, of Arizona, about the aup
presBion of debate by the rules.
An echo of the statehood controversy
yesterday resulted in an effort to cor-'
rect the journal. Williams maintained
he was put in the ridiculous position
of moving to instruct the conferees
after they had been appointed, a mo
tion clearly out of order at that time.
The correction was made as suggested.
Thursday, March 22.
Washington, March 22. The state
hood bill was taken from the Bpeaker's
table in the houBe today, pl&ced in the
hands of three selected conferees and a
request made of the senate for a con
ference on the disagreeing votes of the
two houses. This action was not ac
complished without many words and
votes. It was developed, however, ihat
there were votes enough to carry out
the program of the leaders. Then fol
lowed 40 minutes of fiery speeches, some
of which provoked much amusement
among the large attendance of mem
bers and the crowded galleries. Then
came the final vote on the adoption of
the rule, which 175 members approved
and 156 opposed.
The- legislative appropriation bill
constituted the subject for the remain
der of the day. Criticism was made of
the management of the library of con
gress, and Hard wick, of Georgia, found
himself opposed by members of both
sides of the chamber in his endeavor to
restrict the white house appropriation
so as to eliminate a social secretary for
the wife of the president.
Washington, March 22. The rail
road rate bill occupied practically all of
the time of the senate today. There
were two speeches, one by Lodge and
the other by Spooner. Lodgi spoke in
advocacy of his , amendment, looking
to the enlargement of the Interstate
Commerce commission, and in doing bo
replied sharply to some recent utter
ances of Commissioner Prouty. Spoon
er devoted his attention (0 the consti
tutional powers of the inferior courts,
contending that these courts could not
be destroyed nor their jurisdiction
taken from them.
Wednesday, March 21.
Washington, March 21. The entire
day in the senate waa devoted to the
consideration of the railroad rate bill.
Culbersan began the proceedings by
presenting an amendment prohibiting
corporations coming under the opera
tion of the proposed law from making
campaign contributions and he was
immediately followed by hia colleague
Bailev, who offered the amendment so
long promised by him and followed
this action with a speech in which he
explained that he would not now pre
sent the amendment but for the fact
that Dolliver had referred to and criti
cised it in an interview. He indicated
some displeasure over the interview,
but exoneratad Dolliver from discour
tesy in the matter. The Iowa senator
disavowed any intention to reveal a
secret and the incident was closed
pleasantly. Both Bailey and Dolliver
made speeches reiterating their views
and they were followed by more or less
Revise Second-Class Rate.
Washington, March 20. The house
committee on postoffices and postroada
reported the postofflce appropriation bill
to the house today. It provides for an
expenditure of $191,373,848 for the
fiscal year 1907, or $913,221 lees than
the modified estimates of the Postoffice
department. This amount exceeds the
appropriation for 1906 by $10,351,755.
Legislation for freeing the mails of
heavy matter and for gaining informa
tion to reclassify mail is included ia
the bill. One provision appropriates
$10,000 to pay freight on supplies.
HALLS OF CONGRESS 1
extended remarka by Tillman, Patter
aon, Heyburn and Knox. Bailey wai
interrupted in the middle of his speech
by the announcement of his father's
death, and immediately left tho senate
chumber.
Washington, March 21. Represent
ative George R. Patterson, of the
Twelfth Pennsylvania district, died
suddenly here today. Heart failure ia
ascribed aa the cause of death.
The house adjourned immediately af
ter it waa called to order, out of respect
for Mr. Patterson. The statehood bill
will be taken up tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 20.
Washington, March 20,, In lees
than 20 minutea the senate voted away
$140,000,000 of the public funds. The
sum is carried by the pension appro
priation bill, which brief document waa
made the subject of very little discus
sion. The railroad rate bill waa laid
aside for the day and the major por
tion of the time waa devoted to the
conaideration of the fortification bill.
In that connection the question of the
necessity for seacoast fortificatipns in
the Philippines was discussed at
length, with the result that all provis
ions for such fortifications in these
islands was eliminated. The consider
ation of the measure was not concluded.
There waa also a brief discussion of the
power of the conference committee to
amend the bill providing for punish
ment for premature divulgence of gov
ernment secrets so aa to make the in
hibition extend to senators and mem
bers of the house of representatives,
but the subject was left undisposed of
for the time.
Washington. March 20. The house
of representatives today did business
with a microscope in one hand and the
bill making appropriations for the sal
aries of its officers and employes in the
other. The result was that, although
b hours were spent in reading the
legislative appropriation bill for
amendment, lees than 25 pages were
completed. The spirit of economy in
little things was all absorbing. Points
of order were made and many of them
were fatal to proposed increases in the
salaries of officers, janitors, doorkeep
ers, messengers and laborers.
A point of order which made the en
gine room of tne house cost $270 in
stead of $280 a year, as proposed,
caused a constitutional debate of more
than an hour on the point as to whether
the house could do as it saw fit in the
matter of fixing the salaries of its em
ployes. The conclusion seemed to be
that it could, and that it prescribed its
own action by ita rules. However,
these rules prohibited increasing a sal
ary without provision of law.
Monday, March 19.
Washington, March 19. There were
three speeches on the railroad rate bill
in the senate today. McCreary, Bailey
and Heyburn were the oratora. Mc
Creary announced hia determination to
vote for the bill whether amended or
not, but said that he would not object
to a reasonable provision for the review
of the Interstate Commerce commis
sion's findings. Bailey replied to crit
icisms of his suggestion for a prohibi
tion of the suspension Of the commis
sion's orders by courts below the Su
preme court. He contended, that con
gress had the absolute power to pre
scribe limitations for the, courts which
it creates, and cited a large number of
decisions in support of his position.
Heyburn advocated a review provision,
but expressed the opinion that, even if
it were omitted, ro person could be de
prived of his right of admiaeion to the
courts.
Washington, March 19. The house
today reached a compromise on the
question of abolishing the grade of
lieutenant general in the army, pro
viding that it shall not become effective
until October 12 next, in order that
Generals Corbin and MacArtbur may
be promoted before their retirement.
An important bill, declared to be the
first step toward a reorganization of the
consular service, waa passed. The
bill already has been acted upon by the
senate. It reclassifies the service and
increases the salaries to the extent of
$170,000 a year.
Silent About Bristol.
Washington, March 19. F. J.
Heney, when asked tonight about Dis
trict Attorney Bristol's case, declined
to make any statements. He would
not say whether he intended to take
this matter up with the president, or
express an opinion as to what will be
done with Mr. Bristol.
i Measure Oregon Streams.
Washington, March 20. The Geo
logical survey has formed a new hydro
graphic district, comprising the states
of Washington and Oregon. The head
quartera of J. O. Stevens, hydrographer
in charge, will be at 351 Washington
street, Portland Mr. Stevens is train
ed in engineering, and has had several
yeara of experience investigating the
hydrography work in the arid states of
the West. He is well qualified for this
important work. The Oregon state
surveyor at present co-operates with
the government geogaphical survey.
SAILORS REVOLT.
Avenge Death by Capturing Officers
and Burning City.
St. Petersburg, March 21. Most
sensational reports are current tonight
that the execution of ex-Lieutenant
Schmidt, which has made a deep im
pression throughout Russia, has been
followed by an extensive mutinyvof
sailors at Sevastopol, the massacre of
their offiwrs and firing by the fortress
upon the city. The truth of the story '
la doubted, this being the "psychologi
cal moment" for the appearance of auch
wild reportB. No press dispatches con
firming the story have been received,
but, if the report should prove to be
true, the absence of these might be ac
counted for by the imposition of a cen
sorship. The alleged news came in the form
of two cipher telegrams to a prominent
member of the Social Revolutionary
party, such as the revolutionaries have
sometimes been able to transmit
through accomplices in the telegraph
offices when the public and even the
government have been unable to com
municate. Aa translated and displayed at the
offices of the newspapers here, the tele
gram says briefly that the sailors, in
furiated by the refusal of Emperor
Nicholas to pardon Lieutenant Schmidt
and their fellow eailora, rose in their
barracks and seized and imprisoned the
majority of their officers. The dis
patches added that the city of Sevasto
pol is almost entirely in flames.
The admiralty affected ignorance as
to the occurrence of any susli affair.
The papers, in view of the menace of
the new press law, which provides that
they may be closed up for spreading
false reports affecting the army or navy,
are afraid to take chances by publishing
the story.
THE TOPEKA IS CENSURED.
Officers Did Not Take Proper Means
' for Rescue.
Victoria, B. C, March 21. The find
ing of the commissioners appointed to
inquire into theaValencia disaster was
delivered today. The report found
Captain Johnson was blamable in not
having recovered his position by Uma
tilla reef lightship before attempting to
enter the straits and held him guilty
of grave error of judgment and also in
not having made due allowance for the
northwest set of the current as proved
well known to coast navigators.
Censure was passed upon the lack of
disciplne prevailing after the wreck, as
well as the cork and cement life pro
servers and inefficiency of drill. Those
on the steamers Salvor and Czar were
found to have been in ignorance of
there being lives on' the wreck when
they went to Bamfield to dispatch
assistance over the trail, the Queen
having reported this material fact to
the City of Topeka, but not to the
Canadian steamer.
The Topeka waa found under the
circumstances not to have properly
stood by, while the Czar and Salvor
were adjudged to have acted with due
discretion.
NEXT ROUND FRIDAY.
Lawyers Will Argue Hermann's Latest
Dilatory Motion.
Washington, March 21. The next
round in Representative Hermann's
fight against the government will occur
before Justice Gould, next Friday
morning, when arguments will be
heard on a motion made today by Her
mann's attorneys to compel District At
torney Baker to furnish a bill of partic
ulars describing more minutely the
letterpress copybooks which Hermann
is accused of destroying. Counsel sub
mitted with this motion an affidavit
signed by Hermann, in which he, in
substance, says he is not able to answer
the charge against him unless the same
be made more specific.
From comments made last Friday,
during the arguments on Hermann's
demurer, it is believed that Justice
Gould will direct the district attorney
to furnish a bill of particulars, but this
can be done instantly, and will throw
no new light on the case, Bince the pro
secution and defense are both aware
what books were destroyed. Today's
motion and Friday's argument mean
nothing but delay.
Dewey Favors Big Warships.
Washington, March 21. Great bat
tlcships like the 18,000-ton British bat
tleship Dreadnaught are the crying
need of the American navy, according
to Admiral Dewey, who appeared before
the house committee on naval affairs
today to discuss the future of the Ameri
can navy. At least two of the 18,000
ton battleships, with ten 12-inch guns
each, should be authorized at once, in
Admiral Dewey's opinion. He would
use those of American design, and
thinks we should be creative rather
than imitative in developing the navy.
, An Exceptional Sentence.
Los Angeles, March 21. Edward B.
Thomas, an ex-United States forest in
spector, was today convicted -on the
charge of having issued fraudulent
vouchers and sentenced to. three years
in the penitentiary and to pay fines ag
gregating $7,000. He was found guilty
on ten counta. The amount of Thomas'
alleged fraudulent vouchers was lets
than $200.