The record-union., 1891-12-02
TALKS ON TURKEY.
How the National Bird Suffered Up in
Oregon State.
A Bald-Faced Advertisement at the
Expense of Some Poor Children $50
Some Big Ships Coming In.

The festive turkey has been conspicu-
ously to the front the past week. This
noble bird has been offered in the sacri-
fetal fires of the national holiday. From
every fish-stand they hung in tempting
array-from the very big and very fat
turkey, whose existence for the past few
months has been made burden to him
by reason of constant process of
stufing, to the very lean and very young
turkey, who didn't get enough to eat.
Everyone partook of turkey, and was
consequently happy with a sense of duty
done.
A certain Famous" clearinghouse
gave a Thanksgiving spread to all the
newsboys of the city. The dinner was
laid in the big show windows, where
some two hundred or more boys stuffed
themselves unto repletion. This was no
doubt a kind and charitable act to the
homeless boys, but why treat them like a
lot of animals, and expose them to pub
lie view, as though they were not human
creatures like ourselves? 1t looks as
though this was a gigantic advertisement
for the sole gain and edification of the
aforementioned house. If the dinner
had been given in some hall rented for
the occasion the boys would have en-
joyed it better, and would not have been
overcome by sense of restraint.
The hospitals, Children's Homes and
other public institutions, were all liber-
ally supplied with the time honored
turkey. All the inmates ate, drank and
were merry, forgetting for the time cares
and worries in the pleasant association of
the home festival. Some men were sent
to prison short time ago for selling fire.
water to dusky Indian braves. For this
Not wishing their relatives and friends to
know of their disgrace most of them
wrote letters home telling of wonderful
voyages on which they were about to
embark; some were to seek the icy North
Pole, others were to bask under sunny
tropical skies. and again others were to
dig and delye IN gold mines, finally to re-
turn with fabulous wealth and glory.
There IS something pathetic in these
letters. Perhaps these men are not bad
at heart; certainly their crime, if crime it
may be called, is not nearly as awful as
those of which we read in the papers
every day Of men numbering their own
families and yet escaping unpunished.
We have an example here in our own
State where one gambler shot another.
and even when his victim was in the last
agony of death, coolly emptied the con-
tents of his revolver into his PROSTATE
body. This occurred on one of our
l. ~. L
murderer was arrested, and after several
trials the jury finally agreed on verdict
of manslaughter and the prisoner re-
ceived sentence of one year.
Compare the two cases, and ask, SIS
this iGstice?'
Oregon has not as yet made any effort
to seek place in the Chicago Worlds
Fair. A mistaken idea of economy is the
only thing holding our people back. Ore
gon could make as creditable a display as
any State in the Union if she would only
make an effort. In one of the Eastern
States the people raised the money for an
exhibit individually. Oregon should take
this State as an example and do likewise.
The deepening of the river and doing
away with the Columbia River bar has
been attended with good results. Yester-
day the largest sailing vessel that has
ever been here arrived in port. There
are also several ships, even larger than
this one, now under way to this port.
This is a sure indication of the growth OF
our city. The City Council has passed an
ordinance doing away with all the old
special police officers, and have put on
men in their place recommended by
TheePs Detective Agency. This is alto
gether strange proceeding. The old
officers have always done their duty in a
satisfactory manner. AS certain individ-
uals have to pay these specials out OF
their own pockets, they might be allowed
to have a little to say in the matter, and
should certainly have a right to select the
men by whom they wish to be served.
BESELINA.
Portland orr, November q, 1891.