The Billings gazette. [volume], October 26, 1909, Page 2, Image 2

About The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
TI BILLIN(iS (iAZETTE
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New York MAXWELL, J Phone Central 5234
Entered at the Billings Postoffice as Second Class Matter
Newlands' Magnificent Project
S EVERAL YEARS ago far-seeing men became convinced that
the only way in which the agricultural interests of the nation
could be advanced was through the building up of the West.
It was noted that so far as the development of irrigation by private
capital was concerned, the limit had practically been reached and
that unless the congress of the United States could be led to act, the
growth of the West would be sensibly retarded and the danger of
a shortage of food products would be acute.
The West has fully a third of the membership of the senate and a
goodly portion of the house. The Western representatives got to
gether and as a result of their deliberations, push and energy the
reclamation policy of the nation was born.
Conservation of the natural resources of the country is now
generally favored by the country, although it must be confessed thlit
the- average Eastern congressman knows little of the subject except
ing in the abstract. As there was opposition to the creation of the
reclamation service so there will be opposition to any attempt to
conserve the greatest resource of the nation, that of the waterways,
and only the same sort of an effort which proved successful in the
case of the reclamation policy, will succeed in securing from congress
the authorization for the conservation of the waters of the inland
streams and the improvement of rivers and harbors so that they can
be profitably navigated.
Senator Newlands of Nevada was practically the father of the
reclamation service, and Senator Newlands now stands sponsor for
the plan to conserve the waters of the land so as not only to render
them available for the extension of the reclamation work of the na
tion, but to prevent the wasting of waters during the usual flood
seasons to the end that there shall be an abundance of flow during
the ordinary low stage of the streams for safe navigation.
According to a circular letter sent to each of the Western sen
ators and representatives in congress, Senator Newlands is firmly
of the opinion that the use of the water of the source streams for
irrigation would have no effect, even in the irrigation season, upon
the flow of the navigable streams, for with the water properly con
served it would be stored for the time of need, while the water used
upon the lands would find its way back into the streams.
If the congressmen whose regions are interested in the subject,
will get together, there is no question that the issuance of bonds in
any sum will be authorized, and this would mean waterway trans
portation upon the Yellowstone and the upper Missouri rivers of
Montana; it would mean a lessening of transportation charges, and
it would mean a material extension of the cultivated area of the
country. 4
The Terrors of War
capital and the gallant soldiers of the czar are filled with
bitterness--all because the rebellious Finns have refused to
pay a proportion of the expenses of maintaining a military force
to keep them in subjection. Orders to prepare for a winter occupa
tion of the grand duchy up near the north pole, and as there are only
the swell regiments, or regiments of swells, available, of course they
are the ones to be sent.
General Sherman declared that war was the opposite to paradise
and the Russian soldiery is satisfied that the eminent American knew
what he was talking about, for just think of leaving the capital at
the opening of the social season to spend your time bulldozing a lot
of half savages. Instead of parties, balls and routs there will be
nothing for the gallant soldiers to do except to drink vodka and to
bring more or less gentle pressure to bear upon the recalcitrant Finns
to compel them to provide a portion of the funds necessary to build
battleships for the Japs, or someone else, to sink.
The Russian army 'went through troubles and tribulations dur
ing the late unpleasantness with Japan, but happily the society
soldiers were spared the ignominy of having to face common fighting
men. Now, right at the opening of the society season, the gallants
must hie them to the frozen north to wring money from reluctant
and rebellious subject of the czar.
It is known that the rank and file of the Russian army i
completely permeated with shocking notions about liberty and a
reasonable amount of independence. The soldiery, that is to say
the common soldiery, believe that the Finns under the treaty of an
nexation, are entitled to a liberal amount of self-government and that
the empire certainly has no right to compel them to pay for their
own subjugation. Holding these anarchistic and highly reprehen
sible views, naturally it would not be safe to send them to Finland,
and as the Cossaks, the only really loyal soldiers of the czar who
know how to fight, are being kept busy harrying the Poles and keep
ing the bothersome republicans in check, the government has no one
to send to the grand duchy excepting the aristocratic regiments.
The situation in Finland is not only threatening, as the pres..
dispatches declare, but it is positively dangerous, for with parties
and balls in full swing in St. Petersburg and nothing but coercion
and vodka drinking to occupy their minds in far-off Finland. there
is danger that the carpet knights may yield to their longing for the
sweet smiles of the ladies and may desert the colors leaving Finland
to its fate and in the possession of its money.
If many more people bob up to declare that certain explorers did
not explore, the public is liable to lose all interest in the breed and
to direct their undivided attention to the coming -swatfest between
the big Californian and his burly friend from the antipodes.
Billings Welcomes Her Guests I
I
From Sunday's Daily.
T.OMORROW Billings will receive and welcome its guests with S
that open-handed hospitality for which the Great West is
noted. The people of the metropolis of the Yellowstone
promised certain entertainment as a condition upon the fourth annual
Dry Farming congress being held here, and that promise will be
kept to the letter and then some.
Billings and Eastern Montana promised something more than H
entertainment, however, and it is upon that other promise that many
of our friends who comprise the membership of the congress are
basing their hope for being well repaid for the cost of coming here.
That promise is that we should show them a community located in
the heart of the dry farming regions of Montana which was prepared
to demonstrate by the most forceful of means that the theory of o
scientific soil culture as applied to the lands lying outside of the s
irrigable zone, was a practicable one and that magnificent results r
could be obtained through the proper culture of the soil even without
moisture artificially applied.
Yellowstone, Custer, Carbon and other of the counties of Mon
tana have today in jBillings a splendid display of the products of
their dry farms. At the great international exposition of dry land
products will be found as fine a display of grains, grasses, roots and t
other products of agriculture as could be assembled anywhere on
earth, and the best of it all is that every stalk of grain, every bunch
of alfalfa and every pound of potatoes were raised on the dry farms.
It is part of the theory of dry farming that the land shall lie
fallow for a season in order that it may soak moisture and thus be
come a veritable underground reservoir. In Eastern Montana there
t has been no time for this in many instances, because many of the
-dry farms have just produced their first crops, and such crops they
e were as will cause the eyes of the visitors to grow large with surprise.
° The past season was not an exceptional one so far as rainfall is con
' cerned consequently it is safe to say that if such results can be ob
e tained in the first year of cultivation, what can be expected when the
s ground has been tilled in strict accordance with the rules of dry
farming?
Our visitors come to us not only from our neighboring states and
from throughout the western portion of the continent, but from all
over the world, for the dry farming movement has become an inter
national affair and countries from all over the globe have their rep
r resentatives here to see what we have accomplished and to hear what
men who have devoted their time, their money and their intelligence
to the magnificent propaganda, have to say. These men will bring
g to us records of experiments within their own sphere of observation
and will give to us suggestions which will tend to make our own
work more nearly perfect and our results more sure.
y Billings may not be able to present that tidy appearance which
mr might be wished, for Billings is an exceedingly busy place which
because of its phenomenal growth in population, has found it neces
sary to do a great deal of building, and as one well knows, building
operations are not conducive to neatness of appearance. The city
is engaged in many permanent improvements upon its streets and
' this, too, may not admit of the finished appearance presented by
n communities who have reached the full stage of their development,
but our visitors in the main recognize enterprise and growth in com
munities when they see it., and we trust that they will make full al
d lowance for the disorder incident to substantial improvement.
1e Billings is pleased to receive its guests of the Dry Farming con
gress and will do everything possible to make them glad that they
visited us. The city is turned over to them and if they do not see
what they want all they need do is to ask for it.
"When the skrimmage was over, the midshipman was picked up
unconscious and it was found that he had sustained a fractured
n spine" said the press dispatches in reporting a football game in
Ih which the team of the naval academy participated. In the light
o of such things as this there still are people who believe that prize
:e fighting is brutal and should be rigorously suppdessed by the strong
- hand of the law.
If Mrs. Batonyi is half as bad as her husband said she was, and
if the horseman was only a fraction of a degree as wicked and.im
moral as the wife declared in her suit for divorce, the proper thing
w for the court to have done, was to have married them over again and
It compelled them to live together for the remainder of their natural
lives.
Charges That Jury List
Was Tampered Wit/h
Grave Allegations in Basin Mur
der Trial Are Made During
Argument for Abatement
(Speclal to The Gazette.)
ASIN, Wyo., Oct. 22.-Interest in
the Springs creek murder case
today was centered upon the tes
timony upon the plea in abatement to
the indictment based upon allegations
that the jury lists had been tampered
with and that both grand and petit
juries had been improperly drawn.
Evidence was adduced tending to
show that the jury box and the jury
lists had been tampered with. It is
evident that the prosecution intends
to prove by a system of checking kept
by the clerk of the district court, that
after the clerk had prepared the jury
box from the jury list, someone had
removed certain names from the box
and then erased those names from
the jury list. The state clearly dis
closed this by the cross-examination
of the defendant's witneses.
The attorneys for the defense then
asked for an order of court for the
opening of the jury box, and to this
request the attorney for the prosecu
tion heartily acquiesced and the court
decided that as the hour was late the
investigation could not proceed to
night and adjournment was taken un
til morning.
It is evident that each side intends,
if possible, to throw the responsibility
for any tampering with the jury box
or jury list, upon the shoulders of the
opposition, but the prosecution points
out that it has nothing to gain and
everything to lose by such proceed
ings.
Intense interest is being taken in
the trial and Basin is filled with citi
zens from all parts of northern Wyo
ming.
+++++++++++++ 4 4 44
* 4
4 KILLED BY EARTHQIUAKE. 4
* 4
* SIMLA, India, Oct. 22.- 4
* Twenty-five persons were kill- 4
4 ed in the recent earthquake 4
4 shocks at Bellput, a small 4
4 town on the Quetta railroad, 4
* In the central part of Beluch- 4
* istan. 4
++++4
+++++++++++++++.4.4.• •• "
MURDERS WERE
CAREFUL PLOT
So Thinks Prosecuting Atotrney Who
Has Royen Cases in
Charge.
FAMILIES ESTRANGED
Belief Current That the Murderer of
Three Was no Stranger but Knew
Thoroughly Every Detail of Seene
of Crime.
I -
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 22.-A cor
f orner's inquest over the bodies of Al
fonso Van Royen, his wife and her
sister, Miss Rosa McMahon, who were
S murdered on their farm, five miles
west of Kansas City, Kan., Wednes
day last, was begun today. No arrests
have been made.
The county authorities today were
working on a new theory which arises
f from the fact that the Van Royen
homestead showed no evidences of a
hurried search by the murderer,
though robbery is known to have been
p committed.
"The murderer was some one famil
iar with the premises and some one
acquainted with the famill and not a
tramp," said Prosecuting Attorney
e Joseph Taggart today. "From the na
ture of the wounds, the murderer
must have fired several shots into
each body after it lay on the ground.
.e This indicates to my mind that it must
have been some one who feared he
Y would be recognized and desired to
* be assured all were dead."
Patrick McMahon, brother of the
two murdered women, testified before
>- the coroner's jury that friction had
existed for some time between the
McMahon family and the Van Royens,
y due to the decision of Van Royen to
sell his farm and move to Colorado,
a proceeding which met with the dis
d approval of Mrs. McMahon, mother of
Mrs. Van Royen. The families had
gradually become estranged until late
. ly their relations had dwindled to
mere recognition of each other.
The jury adjourned for one week
it without rendering a verdict.
4--
NOMINATION OF HENEY
HAS BEEN CONFIRMED
No Evidence of Fraud Found by the
Report of the Committee Engaged
in Investiaation.
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 23.-The re
count of votes cast in the recent pri
mary election for district attorney on
the Democratic ticket was concluded
today and Francis J. Heney declared
the party's legal candidate by a ma
jority of 65 votes over Charles Fikert,
Republican and Labor nominee for
the same office.
Fikert protested the first count of
the votes cast, alleging that fraud had
been practiced in certain precincts
which deprived him of the Democratic
nomination. The recount was ordered
by Judge Muraski after a legal battle
and Heney's majority reduced from
88 to' 65. Judge Muraski declared
after the recount had been completed
that there were no evidences of fraud.
Mud Slinging Game
Played in New York
Mayoralty Candidates Grow Bitter in
Invective as Warmth of Cam.
paign Increases.
NEW YORK, Oct. 23.-All three of
New York's mayoralty candidates,
William R. Hearst, Independent; Otto
T. Bannard, Republican, and Judge
William T. Gaynor, Democratic, were
being defiled again last night, ham
mering away with campaign speeches
with the election but nine days away.
Hearst delivered four speeches in
Brooklyn, having crossed the East
river for the first time since the cam
paign opened; Bannard addressed
seven mass meetings on the east side
and Gaynor spoke at Long Island City
and at Flushing.
An attack on Gaynor constituted
fully a third of Hearst's Brooklyn
speeches.
Hearst disclosed his ambition to add
to his string of newspapers by estab
lishing one in Brooklyn.
"Before my nomination," he said, "I
was just preparing to start a news
paper in Brooklyn which would grow
up with this great borough and fight
for your interests. If I am elected
mayor, I shall, of course, have to give
up this particular plan, but I shall
do all I can, as mayor, to serve you.
If I am not elected, I shall go ahead
with my newspaper idea and do all I
can as a private citizen to serve you."
Bannard's prediction that Hearst
will come in third is his first reference
to the editor during the campaign, al
though Hearst has attacked Bannard
bitterly. Both are leading the same
fusion ticket.
Gaynor's speeches covered ground
that he has gone over heretofore and
included his compliments to Hearst.
---------+
HAD NARROW ESCAPE.
Yellowstone Came Near to Claiming
Another Victim.
From Saturday's Daily.
George Ness, a workman engaged in
repairing the dam of the power plant
across the Yellowstone, had a narrow
escape from drowning yesterday morn
ing when the false work on which
he was working gave way, throwing
him into the river. Ness, however,
was a strong swimmer and in spite of
the icyness of the water succeeded in
reaching the shore. Although he was
thoroughly soaked. he escaped with
out injury.
Testing the Enumerators
United States Census Director E. t
Dana Durand states that the primary T
responsibility for securing efficient B
enumerators must rest with the su- c
pervisors of the census.
"It has been suggested from time 1
to time," said the director, "that more I
efficient enumerators might be secur
ed by competitive examination open e
to everybody. There is no doubt that I
if the expense and time required were e
not prohibitive. it would be advantag
eous to hold such an examination, al
thought it would be necessary, instead
of merely selecting those whose rank
ing in the examination was the high- 1
est, to refer all candidates who passed 1
to the supervisor, and allow him to
select those whose personal charac
teristics, such as cannot ,be tested by
any written examination, were mort
suitable. The difficulty with such an
open examination is the expense and
delay involved. It is probably that
for the 65,000 places there would be
several hundred thousand candidates,
and the grading of their papers would
require a large force for a long time.
At some future census this plan might
be worth a trial, but it can scarcely
be attempted at the present census
within the limits of time and appro
priation set by law.
"The census bureau does, of course,
undertake to protect itself," he con
tinued, "against such obviously in
competent enumerators as the super
visors, through political influence or
through oversight, may happen to
choose. At the last census the enu
merators recommended by the super
visors were all subjected to a test
examination, and the same policy will
be pursued this time. About one-sixth,
or 9,000, of the candidates selected by
the supervisors were rejected as a re
sult of this test in 1900. It may be
Iwise to make the test at the present
I census a trifle more severe than at
the twelfth census. At best, however,
such an examination can do no more
than eliminate those ,who cannot write
plainly and who are clearly lacking
in an understanding of their duties
It can do little to assure the selection
I of men of industry, tact, or honesty.
The judgment, efficiency and integrity
of the supervisors must be the prime
reliance for securing enumerators
who possess these fundamental quali
fications.
"I hope and believe that the super
visors at the present census are on
the whole a higher type of men than
those at any preceding census. The
compensation offered to the super
visors is somewhat more than ever be
before, but it is not really an ade
e quate remuneration for men of the
character needed. I believe a very
considerable proportion of the super
visors who have been appointed are
men who in their regular occupations
or professions are able to earn much
more than the supervisor's pay, and
- who have accepted the positions be
n cause of the honor and responsibili
d ty involved, or from patriotic mo
d _ _ _
COfIE TO
BILLINGS
W E HAVE a bargain for you at the
right price and on easy terms.
Things are moving again, more sales in
the past ten days than in six months be
fore. 1 his means an advance in values
very soon and you cannot afford to de
lay. Let us sell you some town lots,
acre tracts, a home, business building
or a farm. We are buying and selling
real estate! for everybody all the time,
adding value to your properny and would
like to have your business. Come in.
NORTH REL STTE COMPANY
Opposite Court House Billings, Montana
TH[ GEIS[R ST[AM PLOW
A. KUNK[[, General Agent, 1116 Ide Avenue, Spokane, Washington
You can see this Plow now at work on F. W. Shauer
ranch, three miles west of Laurel
Local Representative, 6. W. MORRISON
Office at Yegen Bros.' Implement Store P. O. Box 881
tives. There has, however, been no
new departure ,with respect to the
general method of selecting supervis
ors, save only that in large cities, or
most of them, selections have largely
been made independently of political
recommendations.
"It may not be appropriate here to
explain the reason why so-called po
litical recommendations must be
sought in the appointment of super
visors in most of the districts. The
supervisor, in order to do his work
properly, must be a resident of the
district over which he has charge. The
position is not one which can be filled
by civil service examination. A su
pervisor should be a man of executive
ability, such as no examination can
test, and he should be a man well
known in his community. Indeed, men
of the type desired would not in most
I instances he willing to submit them
selves to a civil service examination.
Neither the director of the census, his
superior officer; the secretary of com
I merce and labor, nor the president,
can possibly have personal acquadnt
t ance throughout the country with
men suitable to fill these positions,
nor even with men, outside of polit
ical positions, whose advice they can
seek. The representative of the dis
trict In congress or the party leaders
in the district have the necessary
- knowledge of local conditions and lo
cal men, and it is not only natural
r but practicdally necessary as a matter
of good administration that they
- should be asked to make recommen-,
- dations for positions of this charac
t!+
ter.
"Fortunately, members of congress
and party leaders are coming more
Sand more to appreciate :the import
ance of accurate census statistics.
The spoils idea of appointments is
growing constantly less dominant. The
director of the census has done ev
erything possible to impress upon
those whose opinions were asked re
garding the supervisorships, the im
portance of the necessity of having
men of marked executive ability and
of absolute integrity. The Informa
tion furnished by members of con
gress and party leaders regarding the
candidates whom they have recom
mended has been supplemented by
full personal statements required from
each candidate, and in most cases by
numerous letters of indorsement from
business and professional men.
"In the large cities the administra
tion is evidently less dependent than
in the country districts upon members
of congress and party leaders for in
formation regarding available mate
rial for such positions as that of
supervisors of the census, and the
president and the secretary of com
merce and labor have joined with the
director of the census in establishing
the policy of making selections, when
I ever the information on which to act
was available, without depending on
the recommendations of political
leaders."