The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1918-03-28

bills are whipped into shape for con-
sideration by the Senate and House.
Sure, he has another chance in open
session, but he has discarded his best
cards. It's like drawing to deuce.
How did Oregon fare in the Mill
tary Committee? In no way that you
could notice. Yet that committee
considers every particle of army ap-
preparation and army expenditures.
An Oregon Senator is chairman of it.
Yet Oregon got no military post and
no army cantonment. There is no
better place on the Pacific coast for
great military post than Fort Stevens,
or, passing the deal, Vancouver,
WASH. near Portland. Oregon Of
fered several splendid sites for army
cantonments; it got zero.
In a special sense the Committee
on Agriculture and Forestry looks af-
ter the interest of the farmer, but |
notice that, while the farmers OF the
South were we'll taken care of by this
committee, the Oregon and Western
farmer generally is overlooked. This
committee. also deals with Forestry
matters. A little action by the Ore
gon member might have brought the
states forest reserve timber largely
into use for shipbuilding and airplane
manufacture. Nothin' doin'.
From the Appropriations Commit
tee Oregon got little small change"
for Crater Lake Park, its two fish
hatcheries and its two life-saving sta
tions. Looks like this committee had
declared a moratorium on Oregon
payments.
Coast defenses? There is where
we do not shine. We still have one
coast defense left, Fort Stevens, sup
plemented by two forts on the Wash
ington shore of the Columbia. A sin
gle uper-dreadnaught of the type of
the four that Germany is about to
borrow from Russia could reduce
all the coast defenses Of the Gateway
of the Columbia basin without at any
time being in danger itself. I'm tell
ing no secret, for this situation is as
we'll known to our enemies as to our
selves.
River and Harbor? Appropriations
for this service, as we'll as for water
ways in general, are handled by the
Commerce Committee in the Senate.
How we have Jared in that bill have
already pointed out in former ar
ticle. We got $3.50, 900 out of twenty
millions. We should have two mil
lions.
What are our members on the Pub
lie Lands Committees doing? We
certainly got rotten deal on the
Oregon G. California Land Grant
Bill, and that's about all that's been
doing in that committee of late af-
fecting Oregon. The committee room
has the air of cemetery; but | sup
pose the clerks draw their salaries as
usual.
The Irrigation question | dealt
with in my last article. Our repre-
sentatives stood pat on a pair Of
trays. Montana walked off with over
twelve million and Arizona seven
teen. We got less than five million,
though we put in over ten. The diff
| ference was in the kind Of represen-
, tation Montana and Arizona had.
Indian Affairs? We haven't even
/. been able to get appropriations for
7 improvements and needed new build
;, ings for the largest modern Indian
school in the Northwest, Chemawa.
0 Our Indian Affairs representation Is
e "cultus."
l. will pass up the Ways and Means
Committee of the House, because our
/. member there only took his appoint
n ment at the beginning Of the present
l. session. If the chance is offered, he
6 should work and vote to remedy the
# iniuuitous burden of taxation i'm
J. posed on the North and West by the
l. Kitchin bill.
r, will speak of the Naval Affairs
II Committee, however. The Congress
a man who represents us on that com
Y. mittee is supposed to be live one.
,r But I've not noticed that he got us
Ie any naval base appropriation for the
Ie mouth of the Columbia That's the
IS thing he should work on now, II he's
4, working this year. We may serious
g " need that naval base If the scene
n If naval artivties is transferred tt
s. the Pacific ocean on account OF the
sr Russian situation.
'r BY the way this Congressman anc
,r one of his colleagues were offered
h. place on the River and Harbor Com
le mittee of the House, and both turned
ss It down, though 1t Is the most import
an committee, from Oregons stand
s. point, in the list. Why did they dc
lr It? II there is any voice coming from
y. the tombs, perhaps We shall have ar
= answer later. But it looks to me thai
very great opportunity to serve oul
1t state was thrown away by these gen
J. tlemen.
in SOME GOOD ADVI G T
~ GA ,.ur, x~<hound pv HRnunpr E,YD1P