Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-01-28
A Hot Fight
Yesterday
in House
STARTS ON SCHUEBEL BILL TO
MAKE ROAD SUPERVISORS FIRE
WARDENS-ADVOCATES OF BILL
SEE HAND OF TIMBER INTER.
ESTS.

The warmest fight of the legislative
session came yesterday afternoon
when, after two-hours' debate, and by
a vote Of 30 to o. the house killed the
bill Of Schuebel, Of Clackamas, to have
road supervisors appointed ex-officio
fire wardens throughout the state.
The bills purpose was to enable
farmers to get permit without delay
when they wanted to burn slashings.
Under the present law farmer often
has to wait for weeks to get such a
permit, on account Of the absence Of
the fire warden in the mountains.
The bill, innocent as 1t seemed, sur
'prised its author by stirring up a reg
ular hornets nest, arousing the an
tagonism of the timber interests Of the
state. Scheubel and others charged
that the big timber interests had
agents pussy footing" around the
state against the bill, even enlisting
the services Of women's societies and
clubs, whose members knew nothing
about the subject whatever. These
societies were misled, they claimed.
The debate at times took on a nasty
and personal tone, and insinuations
were banded back and forth; and at
times the sole Guqestion at stake
seemed to be whether the farmers and
agriculture were more important to
the state than the timber and the tim
Der interests.
In proof of their assertions that
the timber interests had "hornswog-
gled" the women's societies and clubs,
the friends Of the Schuebel bill point
ed out the similarity of the letters,
both in typewriter form and language
that came from women's societies
scattered over Oregon.
Members of the house were flooded
with such letters. An examination Of
the letters indicates that the body of
them was printed by Portland multi
graph concern, and the names and ad-
dresses of the societies were filled in
as wanted. Each society ana club de-
nounced the Scheubel bill as inimical to
the interests Of he state, iniquitous,
and pleaded that the present law gov
erning the burning Of slashines was
The main objection IT, the Till, as
proclaimed by its opponents was that
read supervisors, in many cases, would
be incompetent to ACT as fire wardens
and issue permits, Tie chief state
forester opposed the bill, holding that
1t was unnecessary, AMI that the pres
ent law was good, and should not be
or changed.
Schuebel, Immediately after the de-
feat Of his bill, prepared another bill,
which he will introduce today. This
bill makes a county Judge ex-officio
lire warden.
Among the bills introduced late yes
.erday were the following:
By Murnane-To provide for munic-
pal assessments on certain cemetery
BY Murnane-To bring certain high
ways within corporate limits of GER
ain cities under jurisdiction and con-
rol Of the county court.
BY Upton-To amend act "to au-
horize persons and corporations own
ng real property, where title has been
'r shall be registered, to withdraw
ame to the recording system"
BY Forbes-To fix fees of court re-
,orters for preparing transcripts.
BY Scheubel-To define terms of
and, real estate and property.
By Hill-To provide that there shall |
'e no deduction for tare in sale and !
ranster Of hops, unless specified.
By Brunk-To define Intoxicating .
liquors" as used in laws of Oregon.