Arizona republican., 1912-08-24
He Announces to Oregon
 City Authorities Tn a t
 There Will Be a House Cleaning There With or Without Their Assistance
HE'S ON THE GROUND
 READY TO BEGIN
Starts in With Clash With District Attorney; Sheriff Is Too Busy to Talk With the Governor About Re formation
ASSOCIATED PRESS DIsPATcHl

PORTLAND, Aug. Ex-Governor
 Oswald West served notice today on
 the authorities of the city of Port land and MultonOmah county that he purposed to institute next Monday a moral house cleaning in Portland, with the help of the local authorities if they will give it, without it, if they do not care to assist, and in spite of them if they try to block his eff forts. The governor said he was gO- ing to "clean up' Portland if it took him until January 9, 1915, the day his term of office as governor eX- pires.
 The governor arrived here from
 Salem early today, and at once tele-
 phoned to Mayor A. G. Rushlight, Chief of Police F. A. Slower, District Attorney George J. Cameron and
 Sheriff R. l.. Stevens, to meet him in the mayors office. All except the sheriff were present. Stevens sent word that he was "too busy"
 The meeting started by the govern
 or declaring his purpose, the officials proffering their assistance Rush light and Slower told the governor, however, that they did not take much stock m ms program.
 They advocated. as the only soIu- tion, the creation of a restricted dis trict, and asserted that nothing could be accomplished by the crusade eX- cept to drive the unfortunates from one hiding place to another. The gov
 ernor adhered to his position, and the local authorities to theirs. Then the governor announced that he intended to put two special de puties into Cameron's office to con- duct the prosecutions.
 You will if they suit me- Cameron
 replied.
 T will anyhow" retorted the gov ernOr, T am going to have somebody
 there who won't double cross me" My name is Cameron-George Cameron. I want you to know you 1 don't scare me bit"
 Remarking on the absence of Sher- if Stevens, Governor West announce
 ed that he intended to take possession of the sheriff's office by force if nee | essary. Later the governor was ask
 ed if he intended to call out the na- ! tional guard to do it.
 "As a last resort" was the reply Asked why he had not attended the meeting Sheriff Stevens said: "The
 governor is merely trying to adver- tise himself. I am too busy with my own work to help him in his scheme for self aggrandiZement.'
 The report of the vice commission appointed by the mayor some months ago made public late last night what gave Governor West the basis for his action today The operatives of the vice commission investigated 547 hotels and apartments lodging houses On the west side, each place being repeatedly checked by different 1 operative.
 Of this number 431 were listed as immoral under three subdivisions.
 The ownership of the buildings is in | cluded in the extent of the investi- | gations It is reported that some of | the most prominent men in the city | own some of the worst dens. As a | result, the commission recommends an ] ordinance providing for the name of buildings owner to be posted at | the entrance of every hotel, apart ment or lodging house.