Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1919-08-01
CONDITIONS OF FIVE
YEARS AGO REVIEWED
Difference In Price Scale On
August |, 1914, Is Hard
To Believe.

\ Five years is not so very long, and
yet it was exactly five years ago today
that The Capital Journal under date Of
Aug. l, 1914, displayed the following
headlines: "The Greatest War in
Worlds History Seems Inevitable"
The French ambassador at London
gave out this interview; Everything
depends on England If she win in.
form Germany that her navy is pre-
pared to strike, there will be no war.
Otherwise the situation is hopeless" "
Another dispatch of August l, 1914,
conveys the news that Germany has de-
elared war against Russia. Also that
declarations Of war by France and
England were hourly expected.
! Editorially, The Capital Journal said:
'If the great war begins, all the other
leading nations of Europe viii b ar
rayed against the Austro-Gcrman feder-
etion, with several smaller nations
maintaining their neutrality III posi-
blc.n
! In Salem, there was nothing cspe.
eially exciting during those troublesome
days. Governor Oswald West had Just
returned from an extended trip through
the east and expressed himself as par
tieularly glad to get back to Oregon.
He said the weather was not so bad as
he expected back cast. That he haa
made number Of addresses and had
visited several state prisons and insane
asylums. AS a memcnto of his trip, he
Exhibited rusty flint rifle which he
picked up at Bedford. The old rifle
was in good order, the governor sald,
and intimatcd that he might have to use
! it in enforcing some of the whiskey
troubles of the state.
Attorney John Turner appeared in
the Salem police court that day rep.
resenting seven automobile drivers wav
had been arrested for turning ON street
corners between intersections instead Of
going to intersections to make the turn.
In the opinion Of City Attorney Page,
the ordinance did not include horse or
muscular drawn vehicles. But Chief
Shedeck stated that he would continue
to make arrests as fast as the ordinance
was violated. 1t was suggested that the
Standard Oil company was responsible
for the ordinance, as thereby each auto.
mobile driver would be obliged TO 20 to
the intersection of the street before
turning, thus using more gasoline. And
this was only five years ago today.
Living wasn't So very high five years
ago today. Westaeott-T Thielson Co. ad-
vertised bananas at Is cents dozen,
sweet corn Is cents dozen and Craven.
stein apples at Is cents q basket or SO
cents a box.
U. G. Shipley advertised special lot
of women s summer dresses at $2.4S and
$4.4s and some women's blouses at
$1.29.
The steamer Oregona was making the
run from Portland to Salem in spite Of
the fact that the river here was seven-
tenth of foot below the low water
mark The steamer Grahamona carried
the Forestcrs and their friends on an
excursion up the river the night before.
Bechtel & Bynon advertised one Of
the farms on Howell Prairie at $l00 an
acre. w. II. Grabenhorst & Co. offered
a fine farm of 265 acres at $6j an acre.
The Bligh theatre, in its present loca-
tion, was offering .'The Courting Of
Prudence" featuring a former Salem
girl, Marguerite Fisher At the Globe
theatre Mary Piekford was being
shawn.
II was just five years ago today that
The Capital journals market report
gave the price Of wheat at SC cents al
bushel Oats were worth 27 cents. (To.
day No. l wheat in Portland is SEQ
while oats are bringing 80 cents a bu
shcl in SGlem.)
The Wholesale price Of timothy hay
was Sll, clover 81 per ton, cheat ss and
shorts 500 per ton. Potatoes wholesale
were 81 per hundred pounds.
Butterfat in Salem five years ago to.
day was quoted at 25 cents. Today it Is
SO cents. Creamery butter was 30 cents
and eggs 20 cents a dozen. Today eggs
Whole sale are 43 cents a dozen. Hens
were worth Il cents a pound, roosters
cents and fryers IA cents.
Hogs were seven cents. Today the fig.
ure in Salem is 81 cents. Veal was
quoted at II cents. Today ii is 21.
From the society page Of August IL
1914, is the following: "The marriage
of Hon. Hal d. Patton and Miss Edith
Tidcombe will be quietly solemnized in
Portland Monday, Aug. 3. Following