THIRD TERM TALK.
OREGON STATE ITEMS OF INTEREST
CANNOT COLLECT POLLTAX.
Attorney General Passes on Validity
of Procedure.
Salem Attorney General Crawford
Iihh filed his opinion in the validity of
the polltax collection with District
Attorney Jolin II. McNury, upon a re
quest from the latter. lloiiHe hill 325,
w hich passed the last legislature, ro
pwalod sections 11041 and 3142 of Bollin
ger & Cotton' code, which abolishes the
$1 polltwx law of 1854 and amended
in 1870 to exompt firemen from the
polltiix. roll. The act of 1885 and sub
sequent amendatory acts providing for
the state revonuoH cover the entire
ground of the section enacted In 1854,
providing that fstute revenues Bhall he 5
mills on the dollar of all taxablo prop
erty and In addition to the $1 polltax.
The attorney general holds thut after
the repealing act goes into effect on
May 25 the polltax cannot, be legally
collected; that the assessment would
not have tho validity of a judgment un
til it iH entered on the roll. As the
roll would not be mado up before the
act takes effect, the assessor would have
no further authority to collect the tax
or make up the roll, and.that there is
no authority in future for sheriffs to
collect the tax.
Plan to Finance Normal.
Salem The maintenance of the Mon
mouth State Normal school has revert
ed to the shoulders of the board of re
gents. Under the provision made by
them at a meeting here, a regular state
ment of the contingent expenses, as
well as the payrolls, will be filed with
the secretary of state, as heretofore, and
several hanks havo agreed to advance
the money on them, requiring an as-1
signment of the payrolls over to them.
The members of the board will individ
ually stand responsible for the payment
of the hypothecated securities. This
was practically the only course they
could follow, as there are no funds
available by the state, and Governor
Chamberlain could not take any steps
towards securing assistance, even if he
were eo disposed.
No Encampment This Year.
Salem Governor Chamberlain has
'been officially notified by the War de
partment of the abandonment of the
regular army annual encampments, on
account of so many of the men being in
-Cuba, and the large number that will
ber required to go to the Jamestown
exposition. The department, how
ever, calls attention to the fact that
during one week to ten days in July,
camps of instruction for coast artillery
will be held, and the members of the
Oregon National Guard are invited to
participate. Assistant Secretary of
War Oliver asks that preparations be
made, together with a list of men who
intend to attend, and forwarded to the
department.
Board of Sheep Inspectors.
Salem Governor Chamberlain has
named the new state beard of sheep
commissioners. The new ofhcials are:
First district William II. Steusloff,
Salem, term of two years; district era-
biaces Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook,
Washington, Multnomah, Clackamas,
Yamhill, Polk, Marion, Linn, Benton,
Lincoln, Lane, Coos, Douglas, Curry,
Josephine and Jackson counties.
Second district Thomas Boylan, An
telope, term one year; district compris
es Wasco. Crook, Lake and Klamath
counties.
Third district Dan P. Smythe, Pen
dleton, term three years; district com
prises Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Grant,
Wallowa, Baker, Harney and Malheur
counties.
Grain- Bags at Nine Cents.
Pendleton An order for the purchase
of 500,000 sacks was made oy ine exec
utive committee of the Graingrowers'
.association in this city. The name of
-the firm of importers or manufacturers
.and the price paid has not been given
out, but it is thought that the sacks
.are mado in Portland and they will
not be more than 9 cents apiece deliv
ered in this city. The contracts for
120.000 of these sacks have been signed
by Morrow county growers, who, asked
for and were given permission to come
in with the Umatilla county farmers
Howe Succeeds Williams.
Salem Governor Chamberlain has
Unpointed ex-State Senator W. A.
Howe, of Carlton, a member of the
tate board of agriculture to succeed
Jasper Williams, of Albany, deceased,
and President W. II. Downing, of
Shaw, to succeed himself. He also re
. appointed Drs. A. C. Smith, of Port
land, Alfred C. Kinney, of Astoria, and
C. J. Smith, of Pendleton, on the
board of medical examiners. Their
terms had expired.
Commission Approves Rate.
. Salem The Oregon Kailroad com
mission has given its approval to the
existing rate of $1.25 per thousand on
"lumber in carload lots from Astoria to
-Seaside on the Astoria & Columbia
! Kiver railroad.
GATHERING DATA ON CARS.
Commissioner Campbell to Ask Ship
pers for Many Details.
Baloin One of the important under
takings of the Oregon Kail road commis
sion is the collection of accurate infor
mation regarding the shipment of pro
duco in carload lots. Com miss ion er
Campbell Is now arranging with the
lumber companies to have them report
to the commission every application for
casr, the number and Kind, the uate oi
application, and the date the cars were
furnished; the date loaded, started
from the shipping point and the desti
nation. The commission will also ar
range to learn when the cars reach the
consignees and when they are unloaded.
Information will be gathered also con
cerning shipments of other products
than lumber. The purpose is to place
n the hands of the commission figures
which will enable it to act intelligently
upon controversies mac are likely to
arise in the future. The reports will
show tc what extent ttie car shortage
is due to scarcity of equipment, delay
n loading, delay in shipping and de
lay in unloading.
Crop Outlook Good.
Milton Farmers in this section of
Umatilla county are very optimsitic
over the prospect of a bumper wheat
and barley crop this coming season.
The fall was an ideal one in regard to
rainfall, there being plenty of moist
ure in the ground before the setting in
cf winter weather. The snowfall in
the mountain districts this year has
been unusually heavy, thus conserving
the water supply for the suummer
months. With the supply already pro
duced by the thawing out on the low-
amis or light sou districts, it leaves
ittlo question as to the adequate sup
ply of moisture.
Crop Outlook In Harney.
Burns The winter in Harney county
is over and the snow in the valley has
gone off with a warm rain. There is
plenty of snow in the mountains to
keep the high water over the swamp
land and make good crops of bay.
Stockmen have turned their herds out
on the range, which is better than has
ever been known for tais time in the
year. Farmers are preparing their
ground for spring crops and everything
points to a successful year to the farm
ers of Harney county.
More Trout for Oregon.
Oregon City Two hundred thousand
Eastern brook trout have been received
at the Clackamas United States bureau
of fisheries station for distribution in
Oregon, and 100,000 rainbow trout have
been received from California. Super
intendent O'Malley has started a sub
station at Eagle Creek for steelhead
work.
PORTLAND MARKETS.
Wheat Club, 7172c; bluestem, 73
74c; valley, 70c; red, 6970c.
Oats No. 1 white, $29; gray, $28.50
Barley Feed, $2222.50 per ton;
brewing, $23; rolled, $23.5024.50.
Rye $1.451.50 per cwt.
Corn Whole, $24.50; cracked,
$22.50 per ton.
Hay Valley timothy, No. 1, $14
15 per ton; Eastern Oregon timothy,
i(fli8; ciover, su; cneat, ?a; grain
hay, $910; alfalfa, $14.
Butter Fancy creamery, 32Z5c
per pound.
Butter Fat First grade cream, 33c
per pound ; second grade cream, 2c less
per pound.
Poultry Average old hens, 15c
per pound; mixed chicken?, 14c;
spring, fryers and broilers, 20(a)226c;
old roosters, 1012c; dressed chickens,
1617c; turkeys, live, 1315e; tur
keys, dressed, choice, 1820c; geese,
live, 8c; ducks, 1618c.
Jiggs uregon rancn, 17(2)18c per
dozen.
Apples uommon, oc(j?i.25 per
box; choice, $1.502.50.
vegetables Turnips, per
sack; carrots, $11.25 per sack; beets,
$1.251.50 per sack; horseradish, 7
8c per pound; cauliflower, $2.50 per
dozen; celery, $3.25(3.50 per crate;
sprouts, 9c; radishes, 30c per dozen;
asparagus, 1012c per pound; ihu
barb, $2.252.50 per box.
Onions Oregon, 7590c per hun
dred.
Potatoes Oregon Burbanks, fancy,
fi.3o; no. i cnoice, ?i(ai.z&; com
mon, 75c$l.
Veal Dressed, 59c per pound
ueer JJressea Duns, 6(w,6i per
pound; cows, 5 6c; country
steers, otnjc.
Mutton Dressed, fancy, 1010c
ordinary, 89c per pcund.
Pork Dressed, 69c per pound.
Hops 912c per pound, according
to quality.
Wool Eastern Oregon average best,
1318c per pound, according to shrink
age: valley, 2023c, according to fine
ness; mohair, choice, 2730c pet
pound.
Movement Refuses to Down and the
President May Accept.
Washington, March 11. Politicians
in Washington are trying to figure out
the meaning of the sudden outburst of
the Roosevelt third term boom here.
They regard as especially significant
the typewritten memorandum given
out by Representative Martin, of South
Dakota, after a conference with the
president, vigorously defending the
third term idea.
They have reached the conclusion
that the president lealizes that the
third term movement must be allowed
to run right on in order to head off the
progress of the booms of reactionary
candidates. The prevailing opinion
here repiains that President Roosevelt
personally will go as far as he can to
prevent his own renomination, but will
stop at nothing to assure the nomina
tion of a successor in accord with his
policies.
Rather than see them succumb, many
believe that the president himself, if
properly approached, would take a re
nomination, providing no other candi
date satisfactory to himself and friends
is strong enough to unite the next Re
publican national convention.
DISARMING IS EXCLUDED.
Russia Will Not Allow Discussion
at
The Hague Conference.
St. Petersburg, March 11. Professor
de Martens, Russian imperial councillor
of state, who has been making a tour of
the capitals of Europe for the purpose
of determining the program to be dis
cussed at the next peace .conference at
The Hague, is expected back in St.
Petersburg this week.
The introduction of any measures fo
the limitation of armaments is regard
ed here as definitely excluded, because
of the attitude of several of the powers.
United States Ambassador Riddle has
inquired at the Foreign office here re
garding the mode of admission to the
next conference of certain South Amer
ican and other states which did not
participate in the first conference. He
was informed that practically all the
signatories had agreed to the method
proposed by Russia, namely, notifica
tion of acceptance of the regulations,
the signing of the protocol of the first
conference and the number of delegates
ALL PRISONERS GOING NAKED.
Refuse to Wear Clothes Because In
fected With Leprosy, v
St. Petersburg, March 11. Four
hundred political prisoners at Smolensk
have gone on a very original strike
A week ago they refused to put on
any clothes and since tnen they nave
walked around stark naked.
The reas6n is that the prison author
ities took away their own clothes and
gave them clothes made from the poor
est grade of burlap unfit for making
bags. After they had worn these
clothes a few days nearly all were suf
fering with a rash covering their whole
bodies, but still the prisoners did not
mutter. When a number of them had
been infected with leprosy, one morn
ing all of the clothes, blankets and
Bheets were thrown out of the prison
ers cells and they declared unanimous
lj that they would go naked rather
than run the risk of contracting diseas
es from wearing the prison garb.
PLAN TO FORTIFY PHILIPPINES.
President Considers It and Will Push
Construction Rapidly.
Washington, March 11. Fortications
of the Philippine islands formed the
subject of a lengthy conference at the
White House tonight, participated in
by the president, Major Genera) Frank
lin Bell, chief of staff; Brigadier Gen
eral Murray, chief of coast artillery;
Secretary of the Navy Metcalf, and Cap
tain Mason Sargent, of the naval gener
al board. There is available at the
present time for this purpose $1,435,000
and tenative plans already have been
prepared for carrying out the project.
These were carefully gone over today by
Secretary Taft and Generals Bell and
Murray and it was the secretary's in
tention to be at the White House to
night and join in the conference, but he
was unavoidably kept away.
Will Bridge Gap of Time.
Washington, March 11. As a result
of consultations between Secretary Root
and Director North, head of the Ameri
can Tariff Expert commission, which
visited "Germany relative to the making
of some tariff arrangements before the
expiration of the German order sus
pending for a year the application of
the German maximum tariff rates to
American exports a new arrangement
will have been made which will bridge
over the period of time between that
date and the reassembling of the next
congress.
Those 600 Not Avenged.
Danville, 111., March 11. Tn the
trial here of Will J. Davis, charged
with manshmtjhter, owing to the Iro
quois theater fire at Chicago, in which
nearh 600 lives were lost in 1903,
Judge Kimbrough today held that part
of the Chicago ordinance , on which
Davis was indicted is, void.
NEWS FROM THE
DECLINE TO MEET PINCHOT.
Fulton and Heyburn Unwilling to Sup
port Charges.
Washington, March 13. In a report
made to the house, Representtaive Lit
tlefield, of Maine, chairman of the com
mittee on expenditures in the depart
ment of Agriculture, defends the Fores
try bureau of that department.
The recent attacks made upon Gifford
Pinchot, chief forester, by Senators
Fulton, of Oregon, and Heyburn, of
Idaho, on the floor of the senate are
held to be disproved by Mr. Littlefield
after an examination of Mr. Pinchot
under oath. Senator Fulton charged
that the Forestry bureau was the "worst
organized department of the govern
ment," and blamed it for the land
frauds in the Far West. Upon exam
ination, Mr. Littlefield fcund only one
flaw in the entire organization of the
bureau, which was only minor in char
acter, and immediately remedied on his
suggestion. He showed that the land
frauds of which Senator Fulton com
plained were all perpetrated before the
bureau of Forestry was established and
when that branch of the government
was under the control of the Interior
department.
Senator Fulton declined an invitation
to appear before Mr. Littlefield's com
mittee and cross examine Mr. Pinchot,
as did Mr. Heyburn. who charged that
at a meeting of the advocates of forestry
at Boise. Idaho, last summer he had
been howled down and openly insulted
by employee of Mr. Pinchot's bureau.
Mr. Littlefield himself was present at
this meeting, and stated that there
were not to exceed twenty foresters in
an audience of 1,500 at that meeitng,
and Senator Heyburn had . rever men
tioned the matter to him.
LAND ORDER IS RECALLED.
President Finds Holding Up of Titles
Hardship on Settlers.
Washington, March 14. President
Roosevelt today sent. the following let
ter to the secretary ot the interior can
celling his order of February 12, relat
mg to the issuance of evidence of title
under the public land laws:
"My order of February 12, I9u, re
lating to the issue of evidence cf title
under the public land laws is hereby
cancelled for the reason that congress
did not appropriate an amount suffi
cient to enable the commissioner of the
general land office properly to carry out
the purposes of that order, which were
to have such examinations made of all
applications for patent as would facili
tate the issuance of title to bona fide
settlers and homemakers; would reduce
illegal entries to a minimum and bring
the work of the land office up to date
With the amount actually appropriated
it is not possible to carry out the order
or to provide with certainty .for the de
tection of fraud without causing unrea
sonable hardship to bona fide settlers
and homemakers.
' In order to accomplish as much as
can be accomplished with our present
means in preventing illegal acquisition
of public lands, the commissioner of
the general land office wlil detail all
his available field and office force in
such manner, by concentration or other
wise, as will as effectively as is possible
with the actual appropriation restrict
fraud, enforce the existing laws and
promote the bona fide settlement of
public lands by homemakers.
Northwest Postal Affairs.
Washington, March 9. Washington
rural routes ordered established May
16: Hatline, Douglas county, route 1,
population 340, families 85; Walla
Walla, Walla Walla county, route o,
population not given, families 120.
Maurice W. staples has been ap
pointed regular, John S. Gates substi
tute, rural carrier, route 1, at Endicott,
Wash.
Oregon postmasters appointed : Cor
bet, Newell P. Gleason, vice W. II.
Reed, removed; Leland, Percy Or.
Mims, vice H. C. Ball, resigned; Ma
pleton, Ernest A. Tabor, vice F. C.
Bean, resigned; Wren, George W.
Hovey, vice Richard Wilde, resigned.
Ammunition Not Guarded.
Washington, March 14. That am
munition used in infantry rifles is not
guarded as closely as has been claimed
by discharged negro soldiers, and that
it is possible for soldiers to obtain ex
tra ammunition was brought out in the
Brownsville inquiry today. This testi
mony was given by Captain D. W.
Kilburn, of the Twenty-sixth infantry,
which regiment preceded the negro
soldiers at Fort Brown. The same wit
ness declared that citizens of Browns
ville made threats that they would run
negro troops out of town.
Forest Rangers for Idaho,
Washington,, March 9. The follow
ing forest rangers have been appointed
in Idaho: W. A. Wickersham, J. W.
Hill, H. A. Beigh, C. T. Gray, J. L.
Wooden, C. K. Hoyt, of Boise; G. W.
Hudnnicutt, Badger; C.H. Huff. Priest
River; II. O. Rose, Weston; J. D. Mc
Call, Lardo; G. F. Johnson, Meacham;
D. II. Kerby, C. E. Herrich, Alphi;
W. M. Carrbell, Weiser;
NATIONAL CAPITAL
PHILIPPINE ELECTIONS IN JULY
Taft Will Attend Opening of First As
sembly In September.
Washington, March 15. Secretary
Taft's proposed visit to the Philippines
in September to attend the opening of
the first Philippine assembly has direct
ed attention toward the new legislative
body to be created for the islanders.
The assembly will consist of 61 mem
bers apportioned upon the basis of one
delegate for each 9,000 persons, and
provision is made to increase the num
ber to a total of 100. It will in a gen
eral way correspond to the American
house of representatives, while the
Philippine commission will correspond
to the United States senate, and the
acts of the assembly must secure the
approval of the commission before they
become laws.
Elections are to be held on July 30.
Secretary Taft will start for the islands
in August, and the first assembly will
convene in September, subsequent
elections for the assembly are to be held
upon the first Tuesday after the first
Monday of November in odd numbered
years, the delegates to hold office for
two years.
The election law of the Philippine
islands requires that voters must be
males 23 years old, citizens of the
Philippines. The Australian ballot
system is to be used, and heavy penal
ties are prescribed for corrupt practices.
WITHDRAWN FROM FOREST.
Large Area In Pend d'Orielle Moun
tains Open to Settlers
Washington, March 16. The Forest
service has received notice that 372,000
acres of land in Stevens county, Wash.,
have been released from temporary
withdrawal. This land lies between
the Pend d'Oreille river on the east and
the Colville and Columbia rivers on
the west. It is principally unsurveyed
and mountainous. The area was orig
inally withdrawn pending examination
to determnie suitability for addition to
the Priest River national forest.
Its release was recommended by the
forester because of numerous protests
by settlers againet its reservation and
because protection of the watersheds
was not necessary in order to conserve
any streams used for irrigation pur
poses. Reports of examiners show that
it is chiefly a brush land area much
burned over, though a small proportion
is timbered.
The released land will be subject to
settlement for 90 days before becoming
subject to entry.
Will Transfer Inspectors.
Washington, March 12. Secretary
Straus, of the department of Commerce
and Labor, is greatly dissatisfied with
the present methods of steamboat in
spection, and today announced that
marked reform is to be immediately
inaugurated with a view to increased
efficiency of service and reducing the
chances of disaster. He has directed a
change in the station of all inspectors
of hulls and boilers throughout the
United States and will ask congress
next winter to authorize him to keep
inspectors continually on the move.
Gets Deserved Promotion.
Washington, March 12. No govern
ment official ever earned promotion
more than F. II. Newell, who was to
day made director of the reclamation
service, succeeding O. D. Walcott. Mr.
Newell entered the government service
in 1888, first undertaking general irri
gation surveys and later taking charge
of the hydrographic bureau, when it
was formed. For 18 years he has de
voted his entire time to studying the
resources and irrigation possibilities
of the arid West, and he is now better
informed on this subject than any other
living man.
Reopen Much Coal Land.
Washington, March 13. President
Roosevelt will sign an order restoring
to the public domain practically 30,
000,000 acres of land recently with
drawn as coal land. The land was part
of a withdrawal aggregating 64,000,000
acres. Since the withdrawal experts of
the Geological survey have been engag
ed in ascertaining the coal bearing val
ue of the withrawn land and, while
the land to be restored to entry is still
classified as coal land, it is understood
its value as such does not warrant ex
clusion from public entry.
New Bids for Life Saving Tug.
Washington, March 12. Bids will
again be opened April 4 for the con
struction of a life saving tug for for the
station at the entrance of the straits of
Fuca. The department hopes to get
bids from the Pacific coast. In previ
ous competitions Pusey & Jones, of
Wilmington, were the lowest bidders,
at $189,000, but their bid exceeded the
appropriation. Congress has since In
creased this, and now $203,000 is available.