Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-04-18

Colonel Ernest e. Hofer almost par
allel the stories of the new world
that startled. Europe years ag,
4 Colonel Hofer was for years resident
of Iowa, having published the Me
A Gregor, Clayton County News, but i,
now resident of Salem, Ore, and i.
the publisher of the Capital Journal
He is spending few days in De:
Moines as guest of Captain J. P
Patrick, 657 Seventeenth street, says
the Des Moines, Iowa, Register and
Leader.
Mr.. Hofer is president of the Great
er Salem Commercial Club, the Viii
lamette Valley Development League
and is interested in a number of fnan-
eial institutions on the coast He de-
clares Iowans have been remarkably
successful in Oregon and have done
much to aid in the growth of the
state.
Colonel Hofer was wearing a hand
some gold medal in Des Moines yes
terday, of which he is proud. Some
months ago the management of the
Portland exposition decided to offer
800 in gold or a medal, as the winner
might prefer, to the person who
should write the best descriptive arti-
Gle about Oregon and the fair. Out
Of more than hundred who competed
Colonel Hofer was declared to be win
ner, and he chose the medal His ar
ticle has been widely circulated and
is giving Oregon desirable advertising.
"On the Northwest Pacific Coast
the man counts for ten times as much
there are $40 to 81 in circulation com
pared to even Iowa, reckoned as the
most prosperous state in the union,'
said Colonel Hofer yesterday. Not
a man of any ability has ever come to
the coast from Iowa but has immedi-
ately been put on the road to fortune,
elected TO an Office, presented with
cold medal or become the father Of
twins. 1 have so far escaped only the
latter transcendental blessing. The
spirit of our people is something infec-
tious when it comes to wishing their
fellow man success. Why, any man
can succeed in Oregon. Two young
Irish dry goods clerks recently landed
in our city. They got a little cubby-
hole to display few cases of Cheap
john stuff. That was five years ago.
Today they have a retail trade that
employs fifteen clerks. Men who bust
up in other states come to us and do
we'll Next to the largest mercantile
business in our city was founded a few
years ago by man and his son, VINO
virtually started with nothing and had
a lot of debts besides, which they have
since paid off. A merchant tailor ar
rived two weeks ago. Three other mar
chant tailors made themselves com
mittee to help him find business loea
tion and a committee of business men
canvassed for orders and he was mol
sooner ready to open business than he
had a months work on hand at MS
own prices. That is the Western spir-
il for Won. Are we boomersl Not a.
bit of it. We are a solid farming com
munity, with twenty-five miles OF the
most beautiful country around Us that
ever lay outdoors, extending in every
direction and not one.tenth developed
State sohdly Republican.
"Oregon is solidly Republican. We
are a second edition of Iowa polltieai'
ly, morally and edueationally. we ap'
propriate more money for the public
schools and for higher education In
proportion to our total appropriations
than any state in the union. We man
tain four normal schools, a university,
state agricultural college. Why should
not We be Republican, We are
sound money country, having to beg
for paper money by special request 10
use when we go abroad. Isn't IT
rather funny that the East should have
put up the big fight for the gold stan
dard, where they are not sufficiently
accustomed to the sight Of gold 10
readily recognize the dimensions OF
yellow coins, and the West, which has
about all the gold in actual circulation,
should have put up the fght for silveri
We have an actual scarcity Of silver at
times TO handle our big money crops.
Money crops are crops that employ
a great deal of money 20 make them,
Your Eastern papers often speak OF
the demand for money to move crops
but never TO make crops with. We
have special crops like hops prunes'
apples and potatoes grown on such