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THE COL FAX GAZETTE
THIRTY-THIRD YEAR.
COLFAX HEARD JUD6E THOMAS BURKE
Three Provisions of New Tariff Law Fully
Explained—Corporation Tax Law
and New Tariff Board.
Judge Thomas Burke spoke to a fair
pizni &u('i"nre at the court house Tbure
day night of lust week, just at the time
The (JHZ'tte went to press, hence we ■
could not excerpt from the clean cot, !
etoqoeat and unanswerable speech de- .
livered by the judge in our last Imam. It
waH masterful in expression and left an ,
impression on the audience that will not i
be forgotten. The rfforta of the dema- j
gogue and the pretender were relocated |
to the waste banker—something quite in j
contrast with most tffurts coming from j
the political rostrum For once a Col j
fax audience was treated to statements ,
of fact and listened to » statesmanlike !
speech that it is not often their good •
fortune to hear. U. L. Ettinger intro
duced the H!!'>*iker.
The Gazette regrets its inability to
print the speech in full. It should bo in
the hands and earefally digested by every
voter in the state. In his opening re
mark** Judge Hurke naed these words:
The Delusion of 16 to 1.
"Fourteen years ago this fa!! I deliv
ered a political speech in this same room
in thin city. Political letting ran hiah.
The conditions throughout the country
wen- deplorable. In a lund blessed with
every form of nHtural \venitu. with a
healthful climate, with a great shore line
on both oceans, wi?h unsurpassed har
bors and every fKi-i'iry for land and
ocean commerce, an industrious, intelli
gent, energetic uud enterprising people
in a time of profound peace found them
selves in a condition of universal did
trt-hH, factories were dosed and almost
the entire working population wfis with
out employment Price* bad fallen ho
low that neither mnuuf u-furer nor farmer
could Hell bin prod acts for ac much t\a it
cost hire- to produce them
"To escape from such intolerable con
ditions the people of this statP, among
others, took leave, fur the time beiuy, of
their common sen^e, and sougbfc a re.-ii
edy that looked good to th^ra in th» ad
v«?rtiHeiru-nt, but that would hove proved
disastrous in osb. At that time I did
my best to persuade my audience that
the only road to financial and industrial
health lay in the return to sound princi
pies of government —principles ttmt had
stood the* test of time and that ln>d
been approved by the experience of other
times and countries And now after 14
eventful years I am appealing to you
again tcuitrht to take counsel of your
common sense, of jour exporieuce in life,
and not be carried away against your
interests end the interests of the state
by au emotional political hysteria which
is bound to have even a briefer existence
than the delusion of sixteen to one.
To What Is Prosperity Due?
"There never wh* a time in the history
of this roantry when there was less
ground for political unrest, political riis-
COOtent than row. For nearly 14 ypnrs
— vir since the restoration of the reptib
lican puny to power—the people of this
country have enjoyed such a measure of
prosperity as was never before reached
in this or in any o»her country in thin
or any other age. And this abounding
prosperity hn* been shared by peopie in
every wait of life. To what has it b! en
due? The land is no richer, the climate
in no better than before. To all except
those who are ho blinded by prejudice or
carried away by some political delusion
that they cannot, or will not, Bee what
is as clear as the noon day euu, it must
' be plain thut this era of prosperity has
been brought in aud maintained by the
wisdom aud policy of the republican
party.
••For the political folly and delusions
of 1896 an excuse can be found in the
distressing conditions of the times. But
where are we to look for an excuse for a
repetition of follies today? The
times are good. The prosperous con
dition of the farmers of Washington ex
cites wonder and admiration at home
and abroad. The complaint now is,
not that prices of all products are too
low, but that everything is too high.
As if there ever was a period of pros
perity with low prices. When you see a
time of abounding prosperity with the
low prices of 1896 you will see white
blackbirds and not before."
Three Provisions of the Tariff Law.
What Judge Burke said of the tariff
law was full of common sense, devoid of
buncombe and high sounding phrases.
Three provisions of the new tariff law
received his attention that are seldom
referred to by critics of the law that
opened the eyes of many in the audience.
To hit remarks in this regard we invite
particular attention:
"But there are some people in this
world who can never be truly happy ex
cept when they are in a state of excite
ment or alarm over a bogie man. The
bogie man of the hour is the new tariff
law. The dreamer and vis'onary, the
impracticable crank and the disappointed
and designing politician with an ax to
grind — a strange combination — have
filled the country with the most terrify
ing reports of the wiekedne eH and evils
hidden-away in the new tariff law. Such
people make no pretence of looking at
the law in an impartial, judicial or open
minded way.
"That thp tariff law is not all that
could be desired no one will deny; that
some schedules are too hitrh bus been
pointed out by the president an-] that
some beneficiaries of the tariff, taking
advantage of the insurmountable diffi
culties in the way of Recuring trust
worthy information under existing
methods of framing a tariff bill on the
cost of dutiable articles here and ftbrosd,
have obtained undue advantages to
themselves may be true. Sut what
about the many good features of the
bill? In all the frenzied criticism of this
law, with here and there an exception,
not a word of praise is spoken for the
many excellent provisions of the bill—
provisions surpassing in wisdom, justice
and foresight any ever before put into a
ttiriff measure. lc it fair or candid, in it
just or honest in those crSMca to feature
and exaggerate the short comings of the
lfiw without giving a word to its wise
and salutary provision*?
"A perfect tariff law never wis add
never will be. But the lnw in qneetion
bun now been in force for more than a
year. If it waw half as bad r»s it b»»£>
been represented to be its cvii eff^c*s
would have bten plainly fe!t before now.
Yet it has not stopped the wheels nor
closed the doors of a sirgie factory. It
has not reduced wages nor thrown men
out of employment. On the contrary it
his increased the revenues of the govern
ment ftnd it hus enlarged the markets
for American products. It does contain
three provisions, any one of which
*h)uld be fuffieimt to justify the bill be
fore ell fair-minded and impartial men.
The Corporation Tax Law.
"(1) Tbe corporation tax law, which
provides for the levy of a tax upon the
corporations of the country, now is pro
ducing n revenue to the government of
upwards of $25,000,000 a year. It fur
ther provides for reports to be filed in
Washington showjog, among other
tnings. the amount of the capital stock,
the amount of the bonded indebtedness,
the gross income and the net income of
every corporation (except the very small
ones) and the amount of taxes paid by
each. No more effective and salutary
law for the control of corporations and
the protection of the public against cor
porate sbuses has ever been en art id in
this country. It throws ;i flood of light
upon the management and conduct of
corporations, the best of all safeguards
against corporate abuses.
Maximum and Minimum Provisions
"(2) The maximum and minimum
provisions under w'aich reciprocal trade
treaties have been made with all the
commercial nations of the world by
which 50 per cent of our exports now
enter those countries free o! duty and of
the remaining 50 per ceDt 85 per cent
goet* in uode- their minimum tariff, that
is, under the lowest tariff allowed to the
products of any other nation. This law
has already enlarged our foreign mar
kets and euabled us to sell annually
millions of dollars' worth of our pro
ducts in excess of what we were able to
do under the old law.
The Tariff Commission.
"(3) The provision for a tariff board
or tariff commission contained in the
new tariff law is not only the most im
portant provision of the law but more
important in its far reaching effects on
future tariff legislation than any pro
vision to be found in any tariff law ever
before enacted in this country. The
commissioners provided for under thin
law have been appointed. They are
men eminent for character, ability and
knowledge of the subjects they will be
culled upon to deal with in their official
capacity. They are free from any con
nection with any business or interest
affected in any way by the tariff. Their
business will be to collect information of
the cost of every dutiable article at home
and abroad and lay that information
before the president and congress. It
will be impartially gathered, full and ac
curate. It will leave no chance to euch
manufacturers or other special interests
ac might seek an undue advantage under
any future revision of the tariff to mis
lead congreeslonai committees or the
public as to the actual cost of the
dutiable article at home or abroad.
Continued on page 8.
coI.FAX. WASHINGTON, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1910.
HE FOUGHT THE FIRE FIEND
Cotfax Boy at St. Maries When De
struction Seemed Certain.
R. G Clendenin and family and Ed
Jones returned Sunday after spending
most of their vacation of two weeks in
camp at Cbatcolet. Side trips were
mnde to St. Maries, 8t Joe and o.her
hre-t-ticken districts in that region.
Mr. Jones, in conversation with a rep
resentative of The Qnsffcte, said the con
ditnns at St. Maries, where he spent two
days with friends to fight fires and render
assistance in escape if necessary, b^izgars
description. Flames reached the edge of
the town. The roar of the flame souud
ed like the roar of the ocean when lashed
into fury by storm, and fiery tongues
leaped hundreds of feet at a bound, it
being an inferno that only the pen of a
Dante could descrihe. A pall of dense
smoke Btifling to the senses filled the air.
Mr. Jones was there the memorable night
when the people of St. Maries were called
at 2 o'clock in the morning to get ready
to leave their homes and take to the
river landing, boats being in readiness
to carry the women and children down
the river. Jdany families buried truuus
in the back yards, reserving more precious
valuables which they cou'.d take along.
St. Maries and the country surrounding
it was hard hit. Even now fires are
raging in the immediate neighborhood,
but the great wave of flime has passed
higher into the mountain fastneeeee
where tbe virgin timber is more dense.
Saturday and Sunday the smoke was
so dense on Lake Coeur d'Alene that it
was with difficulty steamers could make
landings. The steamer Idaho fl >undered
around in the pall of einoki* and finally
eot stuck on the t-bore in the wrone
place. A couple of tngs cume to the
reßc-ue and pulled her (;ff.
W bile forest fires were all around St.
Joe the town wan never in danger, it be
ing situated different from St. Maries,
although the towns are only 16 miles
apart. Damage to property —farms,
boons, timber—in the St. Joe country is
imoienKe and the devastation continues.
GOOD JOB IS NEARLY DONE.
Channel of South Palouse River Is
Greatly Improved.
Street Superintendent Juhnke is doing
good work in clearing out the rubbish
and deepening the channel of t->e South
Palouse at and under th<» bridge on
Main street fronting the court house. A
force of men, with several teanii, are
doing the work. The fl od waters of
last March completely choked the en
trance under the bridge with bridge tim
bers, wrecked buildings, aud flotsam and
jetsim of every description that came
from above, the result being that the
channel of the river was diverted from
its course, doing immense damage, the
effects of which are still iD evidence. The
ton§ upon tons of stuff collected at the
head of the bridge has been taken out,
aud now the gravel and dirt collected
there af? well as^under the bridge is being
carted away and used as filling in other
places.
There is no running water in the South
Palouse now. There are stagnant pools
here and there, but the main channel of
the river is waterless. Teams go under
the bridge from the north end and leave
loaded with gravel from above. When
the rains come and the snows melt in the
sfirine water will pour again down
through this channel, but there will be
lees opportunity for it to be clogged with
flotsam from above than in times pact.
It will pour through like a mill race.
Inland R. R. Raising Roadbed.
The Inland people are filling in and
/aising their roadbed two feet between
Colfax and the tunnel, a distance of
three miles, a large force being employed
in the work. A change will be made at
a point betwepn the fair ground and the
where the river channel bud been
turned, thp railroad taking to the hill
side at this point for a short distance,
the river being troublesome and threat
ening at the high stage. With this ex
ception the road will continue the old
course up the valley. Talk of new
bridges and terminal improvements here
are in the air, but have not taken defi
nite shape at this writing.
A Smooth, Soapy, Slippery Doctor.
The notorious Dr. Seeds is in the toils
of the law. His graft was roaming over
the country selling cabinet vapor baths
from Soap lake. The cabinet vapor
baths concern went out of business long
ago. It is eaid the doctor made many
sales, and gv»t the money, too. He is
out on f 500 bonds to appear before the
justice of the peace at Tekoa on the 6th
for preliminary hearing. The soapy
doctor was nabbed by the sheriff's office
at Spokane.
Roberts Case Comes Up Tomorrow.
The caee of James Roberts, accused of
killing D?U McConnell, was up in the
superior court before Judge Pickrell
Monday. The question o! bail and
other matters connected with the caee
wae argued by attorneys on both sides
at length, Judge Pickrell finally taking
the matters under advisement until to
morrow morning at 10 o'clock.
18-FOOT SUNFLOWER STALK
Commercial Club Rooms Filling Up
With Specimens.
A sunflower wi;h a Htalk 18 feet in j
length can be seen in the rooms of the
Colfax ('ommercinl Club. It v?as raised
by Ed RosenkrtiDz in the south end The i
flower itself is not over large, but it is j
perfect in form —a flower that would |
cause Oscar Wide the greatest delight j
were he on earth to view its esthetic !
beaufy.
The space in the club rooms devoted
to displays—an extended notice of which
appeared in The G.iz^tte. thre? weeks
ago—i* gradually tilling up, but there is
room for more. The two glas>* columns
are twothirdsfull of wheat of all varieties,
presenting an attractive appearance. A
background on tbe wall is made of
grains in sheath, arranged in artistic
form, which attracts astention, wheat
in the front window of all varieties
seen from the outside.
Secretary Neil is anxious for farmers
and orchardists to bring in specimens of
their products, so strangers coming to
the city can see what we grow. Thought
fulness in this rf gard may result in doing
good. Those having fruit, grain or
vegetab'es they wish to exhibit at the
approaching couuty fair can leave them
at the club rooms and the secretary will
see that they are transferred to the fair
ground.
WAITING FOR THE SUMMONS
J. P. T. McCroskey of Tennessee
Flat Cannot Long Survive.
We regret to announce that J. P. T.
McCroskey, one of the best known pio
neers of \* hitman county, h«s been given
up by his friends and will probably soon
p>»s^s over toe Dark River. He has been
coufined to hi-a bed for a month. The
ills incident to o'd Hge are slowly, but
eun.ly, duitig the work that leads to the
grave.
Mr. McCroskey will bo 82 year? old the
Bth of next month. lie came to Whit*
man counry with hifi wife and a large
family of children 31 years ago lust
month, taking up a homestead on Ten
nessee flat, bf ing the second gpttler in
that rich section of country. The Mc-
Uroskey home has always been noted for
its beautiful and substantial surround
ings, along with genuine hospitality.
Mr MeCrofckej was in Colfax the Fourth
of July, probably tba last time he will
ever visit the city, hie son, Virgil T.
McCroskey, bringing him here in ao
auto.
No Fight Pictures in Colfax.
A special meeting of the city council
was he'd Tuesday afternoon to see if
moving pictures of the late lamented
fight at Iteno, Nevada, coul;l be shown
in Colfax. The council in its wisdom re
fused to raise the ban on the buHin-'se,
which settles it so far an this community
is concerned. Those who wish to see the
pictures will have to go elsewhere. They
have even been driven out of Hillyanl,
which was the mecca when Spokane
taboed the fight pictures. Mistah John
eon having shown that he is the "best
man" the matter should be allowed to
drop.
Bought a Maytag Auto.
The Whitman Realty (Jo. last Saturday
bought a Maytag automobile, four pass
enger, 28 horse power, of a make and
type little Keen ir. these parts heretofore.
It is known as the farmers' auto, and is
guaranteed to climb a GO per cent grade.
The new machine is a beaut. This makes
iv the neighborhood of 50 autos owned
aud operated within the corporate lim
its of Colfax, Kpveral having been pur
chased since we published a complete
lint several weeks ago, the number be
ing 42 then.
A Thresher Destroyed.
Johnson Bros.' threshing machine was
burned Wednesday near Gartield, a smut
explosion being tbe cause. The explos
ion is said to have been terrific, scatter
ing things in every direction. The en
gine and balance of the outfit was saved.
Insurance will in part pay for the loss.
The same machine exploded iast year,
but it was saved by keeping it running,
thus blowing the chaff and combustible
material away.
Threshing Outfits Coming In.
Threshing outfits are coming in from
the harvest fields and being stored for j
next season's use. The Kincaid & Dirr
outfit passed through town yesterday.
A modern threshing outfit makes quite a j
procession, a wonderful sight for the
novice who sees it for the first time.
From the old fashioned cradle of our ,
grandfathers to present day methods of i
handling grain is a long stride, between j
which runs a deep gulf.
Returns With Blushing Bride.
Professor and Mrs. Herbert E. Blojd
arrived in Colfax yesterday morning
and are etoppiog for the time being at
the home of Mr. and Mrs. Seymour
Manning. Mr. and Mrs. Bloyd were
married in Portland Wednesday even
ing. Professor Bloyd has taught in the
public schools of Colfax for several years,
and for the coming year will be principal
in the old High school building. He and
bis bride will be warmly welcomed.
MR. POiNDEXTEB INSUROES IN CGLFAX
Indulges in Extravagant Statements, Wild
Assertions, Misleading Information—
Tariff Law Not Discussed.
Miles Poindexter, insurgent candidate
for the United States senate, spoke in
the court house Tuesday evening, and
for extravagant statement, wild asser
tion and misleading information it prob
ably never before had its equal in a pub
lic utterance in this community. For
the two hours and more that he spoke
everything was colored and disjointed to
suit his political purpose. His loose talk
was a reminder of the populietic days of
1896 Nothing that he said, from "Can
nonism and Aldrichism" down, but what
has been referred to by The Gazette
many times in the past, and we have
only space at this time to consider a few
of the mistatements he made Tuesday
night.
The speaker was introduced by Dr. J.
N. Pocock. Tbere were probabiy 200
present, mnny democrats being observ
able in the audience.
No Attempt to Discuss Tariff Law.
He made no attempt to discuss the
new tariff law. Ha declared it wns cou
ceived in fraud aud woe intended to
hoodwink and deceive the people. It
was bald assertion from beginning to
cud. This was co in contrast with the
dignified and scholarly discussion of the
tariff question by Judge Burke in the
same room last week a<» to call forth
comment from many in the audience.
The Gazette elsewhere in this i-^ue print?
a liberal exc> rpt from Judge BurkeV
speech, to which it calls the careful at
tention of readers. The diffireuce be
tween the two inpn and their handling of
the Subject in the (iff reisc-e between a
scholar and a statesman and that of a
blatherskite and apolitical mountebank.
Effect of New Law.
The tariff law has been in force for
little over a year, and if it was the in
iquitous measure Mr. J'oindexter claime
it to be it would be manifest before now.
It has increased the reve»u?« of the
government, with less burden on the
people, then the old law. Read what
Judge Burke said on i he corporation tax
law, the maximum and minimum provis
ions as well as the tariff commi«hiou. all
of which Mr. Poindexter voted against
in congress, and judge whether the con
gressman is right in his wholesale de.
nunciation. L ut us hope that the tariff
commission appointed by President Taft,
which was denounced by Mr. Poindexter
Tuesday night, will succeed in taking
this great economic question out of
politics, thus depriving politicians of the
Poindexter caliber of much of their po
litical capital. No one claims the tariff
law to be perfect. Under present modes
of procedure that is an impossibility.
But a beginning has been made to get a
perfect instrument, which will come in
time through a tariff com mission. The
commission should be equipped with
funds and with expert assistants will be
enabled to make ■ careful study and re
port of the beet of production at home
acd abroad, of every article produced by
or imported into this country, thus en
abling coDgrp^P, when the occasion
arises, to enact tariff legislation based
upon accurate information.
Mr. Poindexter's Record.
Referring to the record we tind that
Mr. Poindexter voted against the tariff
law and in doing so he voted to leave
the Dingley law, which contained higher
duties than the Payne law, in full force
upon the statute books. He voted
against free hides, free art, free trade
with the Philippines and a maximum
tariff; be voted against increasing our
revenues more than $50,000,000 in
round numbers; he voted against a
tariff board or commission. It is as
clear as day that Poindexter is a free
trader, hence no tar.fi law could be made
to suit him.
Cannon and Cannonism.
For fully one hour Mr. Poindexter di
lated on Cannon and Cannonism, as he
called it, which, sifted down, simply
meaDe that Cacle Joe, as speaker of the
house, carried out the rules of the house
adopted by a majority of the members
of the house. That is the sum total of
Uncle Joe's offense. Much has been said
of the rules of the house since the days
of Tom Reed, whom the democrats
dubbed "Czar" and denounced the rules
as savagely as the insurgents now de
nounce Cannon and the ruiee, but when
they succeeded in gaining control of the
house adopted the same rules, which was
the only course left for them to do if
they wanted to enact legislation and pre
serve their record.
Every intelligent citizen knows that
the house, being a large, unwieldy body,
it is necessary to clothe the speaker with
power to enforce certain rules in order to
enact legislation, otherwise the wheels of
progress would stop.
THICK FIVE CENTS,
Mr. Poindexter Tuesday night laid
great stress on the thought that the
speaker had been whom of autocratic
power, for which the insurgents in con
gress were entitled to the credit. As a
matter of fact the name of Mr. Cannon
had no business in this contest, but since
Mr. Poindexter seen tit to drag it in and
make it an isnue let us investigate a little.
The rules of the houee have not been
changed. They are practically the same
rules that R-ed enforced, that Crisp pre
sided over, that Cannon hnt» faced in the
speaken»hip It in true the speaker has
been taken off the rules committee and
the appointment of committees has been
changed ia some particulars, but the
rules are there. If the iur-urgeuts were
to gain control of the hou^e ia the next
congress they would adopt the rules they
Dow denounce, just as the dem>orsits did
when they elected Crisp to succeed Iteed.
They would have to preserve their or
ganization and enact legislation,
A Statement of Fact.
At this time and in this connection a
letter written by D. Frank Pefflaj of
Creston to Ihe Review is opportune, front
which we take a liberal excerpt. Says
Mr. Ptffl-y:
"Older men remember weil that before
the adoption of the modern rules of the
houe>e, aud when diecoMiOD was 'free and
nntramcieled' it whs next to impossible
for ibe majority purty to get legislation
through thut body. Whj? Because it
wan possible fur a few shrewd or long
winded members of the minority to pre
vent it by talking the measure to sleep,
delaying it beyond the term of the ses
sion by dilatory tactics, or 'filibuster
ing' it to deuth through the many forms
of parliamentary practice of which thej
could ani did take advantage. 'Fili
bußterirg" wae the general term applied
to the whole process. This practice ol
the minority was what led to the adop
tion of the later rules, nuder whxh busi
ness could be forced through the house
by a majority without having to await
the will or the exhaustion of the minor
ity.
"Have you taken into account thai
practically all the good legislation cow
on the statute books, and put there \jf
the republican party, hat* been enacted
since and not before the the change of
the rules? The reason is that previously
the 'interests,' with a email but able
corps of filibusterers on the floor, were
able to prevent euch legislation as has
since brought the railroads and all other
large corporations to a realization that
there is a government other than that
of their making in this country. Never
before in the history of the country have
the people been as powerful a factor in
government or beea so well protected
against combined wealth as at the pres
ent time —md the end is not yet if they
act with reason and are guided by ex
perience."
These are words of wisdom, spoken
fearlessly. Old timers well remember the
days of "filibustering," now happily
ended. The pretender Poindexter never
dwells on these facts, but seeks to be
cloud, mislead and misinform.
"Beast Butler."
Mr. Poindexter in the course of his re
marks referred to Genera! Benjamin F.
Butler as "Beast Butler," a term that
made every G. A. It. man in the audience
flush with indignation. It was a term
familiar during the civil war, showing
the feeling of hate still engendered in the
breast of I'oindexter, himself a Southern
man, his ancestry enlisted in the "lost
cause." It is said at Seattle, in a public
speech, he had something to cay of the
"bloody shirt," a term, it was hoped,
which had been forgotten.
Of what he said of the insurgents in
congress and the work done by them
there is room for more to be written to
correct reinstatements.
Tricks of the Demagogue.
Hie constant mention of Carnegie, the
Steel Trust, Rockefeller and Standard
Oil, the Uuggenheims, the Weyerhaeuser
Syndicate, the Havemeyers, Morgan et
al., whether pertinent or not, 6howed
the tricks of the demagogue familiar at
every election in the attempt to excite
prejudice and engender hate. One amus
ing thiDg in this connection occurred,
however. Referring to the offer of Rock
efeller to endow a great national ednea
tional institution with come $52,000,-
--000 provided toe government would
foster and care for it after endowment,
the learned Poindexter made the bold
statement that Mr. Rockefeller proposed
to give 1800,000,000, which was only a
email part of hid wealth.
This is the kind of man who aspires
to go to the United States senate from
the great state of Washington. It m
almost incredible to think that the people*
will elect him. We do not believe they
will.
