The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-10-26

county we are to vote on whether this
county shall adopt township organiza-
tion or not. ...
Really these measures are of more
Importance than the men we vote for
on the state ticket and it is the duty
of everyone to endeavor to find out all
he can about each one of them.
Every mail brings US more letters
from the farmers of Spokane and of
Whatcomb county on township or
ganization. The reader will recall
that these two counties have adopted
it, and doubtless their actual exper-
fence would be much more accurate
test of the value of the system than
any amount of abstract reasoning on
the question. Out of dozens of let
tiers received not one did we find where
the writer felt the new order was un-
successful. On the contrary, every
writer told of the enthusiasm for the
new. order among all the farmers of
the county and the statement was
made in almost every letter that the
writer did not know farmer who OPP
posed it. So far as we have been able
to learn the only opposition in these
two counties comes from the profess
sional politicians whose selfish inter-
ests are threatened and the railroads
whose interests are seldom identical
with those of the farmers. The farm
ers are so overwhelmingly in favor of
it where they have tried it out and
know what they are talking about that
the question as to whether it is good
for the farmer or not seems undebate-
able. And, after all, the law affects
the farmer only and he is the one who
should decide.
For some time the merchants of
Kennewick have afflicted us with a
spices of match which won't light un-
less handled just so. The farmer has
been broken of the habit of scratching
them on the seat of his breeches for
they won't light that way. Nor will
the sole of the shoe or the side of the
barn tempt them. And so it is that
Frank Struthers' discovery Of meth
cd of getting fire out of the aggra-
waiting little pests will be hailed as a
boon to everyone in the valley. His
method is to take a piece Of grind
stone about fifteen inches long, heat
it so hot that it will fry bacon and
then draw the match over it head
down with a swift steady sweep. He
claims that he can light 70 per cent of
them the first time this way.
One of our subscribers reports that
butter is $500 per pound in Kenne-
wick. We asked her how she figured
it and she said she asked for second
piece in restaurant and they charged
her five cents extra.
The car shortage has affected Ken
newick in more than one line. Last
week one of the Finley sports wanted
to get pair of black shoe laces for
low shoes and tried four stores with
out result. Each had carload or
dered, but the car shortage had caused
them to run out. The shortage even
has extended to fuel and we heard one
disgruntled farmer say that if they
didn't get busy pretty soon he was go
ing to send to Sears, Roebuck for a
ton Of coal.
We've mentioned the platform hog
before. He's the guy who ties his
horse to the platform of the local
stores and goes off to gas without a
thought of the other fellow who has
to carry his feed out on his back. We
suggest that the stores make and en-
force.a rule prohibiting the blocking
of their platforms in this way.
Some of the Finleyites report a
botanical phenomenon on the south
slope of Jump Off Joe, where they re-
Gently found large ripe watermelon
growing on big sage brush plant.
Since we heard the glad news that
Washington street was to be repaired