The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1896-02-13

A ". Rose returned last week from
] an extended tour through the southern
/ states and seems satisfied to remain in
Oregon He found hard times prevalent
throughout most of the states he visited
and in Georgia and Florida the people
were anxious to sell their property with
view to moving to some other portion
of the country.
R. NJ Davisson, state committeeman
| meeting of the state central committee
| last week at Portland. He says that re-
ports from all over the state indicate
that the republican ticket will receive
larger m lority than two years ago. The
committee, after celebrating some time
over the matter, flaliy decided to hold
the state convention OIL April 9th, be-
ing the same day the democratic state
convention will be held. They reconl-
| mend the holding of primaries on
March 2Ist and county conventions on
the following Saturday. Tbs county
| central committee has not yet held
meeting, although it is the intention of
| the chairmlu, G. A. Waggouer, to call
the members together in few days, al
which time the date for the holding the
county convention will be fixed.
Representative Hermann, during the
last congress, succeeded in getting b'll
passed appropriatiug the necessary money
for m liking a complete survey of the
Willamette river from Eugene to Port
land. The survey was finished during
the summer and since that time the en-
gineers in charge of the work have been
engaged in making estimates and plans
for improving the river as provided in
Mr. Hermanns bill. Recently MIR. Her
mann had the war department telegraph
to the Portland engineer to transmit the
estimates for the new project. III his re-
ply the engineer informed the depart
ment that the estimates had been COM
pleted and the sum recommended for
the contemplated Improvements amounts
to sI3I, ,667. This does not include $780,
900 estimated for improving the Yamhill
! river.
At the council meeting Monday night
the question of a proposed reduction in
the charges of water to private consum-
ers came up for discussion. Upon a mo-
| ton to instruct the city attorney to pre-
pare an ordinance embodying such reduc
| ton in the rates, the vote resulted in tie,
there being but six members present.
The motion was supported by Lee, Gref
foz and Blakslee, and opposed by Flett,
Samuels and Davis. Upon a tie vote
being announced, the mayor cast his bal
lot with the supporters of the motion.
Those who favor the reduction, claim the
water company's rates are too high and
that the power was granted the council
under the charter to regulate
the charges. It is said tue water
company will not submit to the proposed
reduction without fight If the major
ity faction goes ahead with their propo-
sition the matter is likely to get into the
cour.s
Tie devils have been driven from Cor
wallis. Yesterday was the beginning of
China New Year" and the pig-tailed
boys celebrated with the usual din. The
great fault of the Chinese plan lies in
the fact that it only frightens away the
devils and does not annihilate them.
They hover around above the smoke and
din, to increased virulence when the
bombardment has ceased. Last year
they were attacked with an explosion of
p owder that nearly drove the citizen
fir o'n the town, and yet they managed
during the balance of the year to get in
sone very effective work. Shooting
scrapes, suicides and failures furnished
plenty of sensational news items. The
Tie cloven-hoofed imps jumped astrad
die the hop market and ruined it. They
dug away at the grain price until it
shrunk to starvation rates. They lay in
the paths of several public men and
caused them to stumble. They worked
all their old tricks and invented several
new ones. This year powder was scarce,
the devils are many aud the populists
have their augers sharpened. The Chi
nese are earnest, but they fail to get at
the root of things.
The public school children will observe
the birthdays of Washington and Lin
coin in one celebration, on Friday the
y cf inn Eo11 sc
have appropriate literary exercises, in
preparation for which the pupils have
been rehearsing for some time. To these
patriotic exercises the public, and espe-
cially the patrons of the school, are cor
daily invited The matter of procuring
library for the school has been consid-
| sidered by Professor Pratt and his corps
of assistants for some months but until
now nothing has been accomplished.