The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-09-30
Underwood Bouquets and Brickbats

All ~ quiet at present on the Ska
mania highway project. The stakes
have been driven, but no dirt has yet
begun to fly, meanwhile winter will
soon be here and interest on bonds is
aceumulating. County Engineer Bueche
has been surveying for bridge and
branch road in the Kollock- Hamlin
neighborhood.
DR.. KolIock, dentist, has been vis-
iting his brother, r. M. Kollock, dur
ing the summer and doing considerable
dental work for those needing repairs
of the oral cavity.
Mormon missionaries have been can
vassing this neighborhood Of late in the
interests of their faith. We undoubt-
edly need more religion and less sectar-
ianism, which is the bane of religion.
That which was intended to unite men
in universal brotherhood is often the
occasion of dividing them into universal
feuds. Most of the time we are only
playing at religious twiddle.w .winks.
while humanity goes on staggering
down the dark ways of human sin and
human woe. Christianity has not failed
in Europe. because it. has never been
tried there, and one preacher in Seattle
thinks the teachings of Jesus have
never been taken very seriously in this
country. Certain it is the teachings of
Jesus and modern society are a misfit
and travesty of each other Should we
begin to practice them something would
happen.
Justice of the Peace Cummins has
burnt several acres of slashing and in
tends to convert the same into pasture.
Some are contemplating other crops in
addition to apples.
Milling companies in The Dalles send
their products down the river to Port.
land whence they are shipped back up
the river to Underwood and laid down
cheaper than if delivered direct from
The Dalles to our docks. What kind of
business sanity, or insanity, is this and
how does it figure out in reducing the
cost of living and encouraging the man
on the soil who has to pay the extra
price for this commercial waste and
stupidity? Cannot some philosopher or
other smart Alec answer? Is it in
tended to protect somebody's graft at
the expense of somebody else?
] Courts and commissions decide and
fix what is a reasonable return or cap
ital invested in railroads, express com
panies, river transportation and other
public service corporations, but for
capital invested in farms or for service
in producing food products and raw
material, on which all must depend, we
have no courts or commissions to deter
mine or protect reasonable return.
The producer must be taxed to supply
reasonable return to:the common car
rier or manufacturer of raw material,
but he who renders the most funda-
mental service in originating the
freight or raw material must take what
is left over after everybody else has
had reasonable compensation, and
this remainder is most of the time un-
reasonable and sometimes nothing at
all.
Bonds are protected by courts and
bailitfs, but you toiler in orchard or OH
farm and the output Of your job must
take all the risks and uncertainties of
industrial chaos and mismanagement.
Here is wrong and injustice to which
we are only slowly awakening.
In his first message to congress Lin
coin uttered the prophetic words: LA
Dor is prior and independent of capital.
Capital is only the product of labor,
and cuold not have existed if labor had
not first existed. Labor is the superior
of capital and deserves much the higher
consideration. Patriotic and humani-
tartan words (which place man above
the dollar. We must make this truth
pregnant or something will happen and
the social judgment will fall upon US
as in 1860 in a furnace of fire and
wailing and gnashing of teeth, which
will not be forgotten as long as the
world stands. We may have to read
another fiery gospel writ in FURNISHED
rows of steel and see the god of justice
10 the fires of hundred circling camps,
for God is marching on.
Thistledown.