! The Co dova Daily Times
_(Member of Associated Press) . .
VOL. V. NoT75 CORDOVA, ALASKA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1920 PRICE TEN CENTS
•JUDGE REFUSES TO REQUEST
■ WITHDRAWAL OF TROOPS FROM
SCENE OF “WOBBUES” TRIAL
MONTESANO, Wash., Feb. 27 (by
Associated Press).—Britt Smith, one
of the defendants in the Centralia
murder case, was the first witness
calied by the defense to attempt to
prove that an attack was made on the
hall of the “wobblies” before the
shooting on Armistice day.
Smith identified newspaper articles
which said the “wobblies” had dis
cussed what action would be taken
by them in case of an attack.
Eh*. A. P. Calhoun, a Seattle alienist,
testified that Roberts, one of the de
fendants, probably was insane now,
but that probably he was rational
when the shooting occurred and when
* he made the statements attributed to
him in his alleged confession. 4 He
said the principal evidence bf Roberts’
insanity was that he thought Attorney
Vanderveer to be Colonel Bryce
Disque, former head of the spruce
production activities of the govern
ment.
■^The mother of Roberts testified that
her son was normal at the time of
the shooting, but had become insane
thereafter. She said there had been
several cases of insanity in the fam
ily, including that of her husband,
who lost his mind before he died.
Troops Will Remain
Judge Wilson declared today that
he would take ncr action on the re
quest of counsel for defense that he
request the recall of the troops from
this city. He said the court had noth
ing to do with bringing the troops
here, and he would take the position
that he had no right to ask for their
recall. .
* The prosecution, "he -sajd, had
showed him secret information which
led to the request for the troops. The
Judge refused to express an opinion
as^;o whether he thought the presence
ot the troops was necessary.
Orders Vanderveer to Remain
Judge Wilson told Attorney Vander
veer that the case must continue with
him acting for the defense.
Vanderveer agreed to this, but asked
that the information given by the
prosecution be made public in court.
J. E. Stewart, prosecuting attorney
\L for Grays Harbor county, said he had
learned that six hundred high-power
rifle* had been sold in this section of
"Washington during the last two
months. The average sales of riflse,
he said, were about one hundred for
j|wo months.
EXPECT ACTION
ON RAILROAD
BUI SATURDAY
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 (by Associ
ated Press).—Attorney General A.
Mitchell Palmer informed President
Wilson yesterday that he saw no con
stitutional objection to the railroad
bill.
It is expected that the President
will act on the bill before tomorrow
’>
night.
TWO OILTANKERS TO
BE BUILT IN SEATTLE
SEATTLfe, Feb. 27 (by Associated
Press).—Skinner & Eddy of this city
will soon begin work on two huge oil
tank steamships for private interests.
They will be the largest merchant
ships ever constructed here.
eightwobbues at
4 SPOKANE CONVICTED
8POKANE, Feb. 27 (by Associated
Press).—Eight alleged “wobblies”
were convicted here yesterday of
criminal syndicalism.
*>
►-1
DOUGLAS FIR DROPS
IN PRICE AT SEATTLE
SEATTLE, Feb. 27 (by Associated
Press).—The Douglas Fir Exploitation
aiid Export Company of this city an
nounces a reduction of $5 per thou
sand for fir for export shipment.
It is hoped that cargo buyers will
place orders while the domestic trade
is slackened by the shortage of cars.
HIGHER PRICES
ABROAD THAN
IN AMERICA
_._
I
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 (by Associ
ated Press).—The bureau of labor
statistics has issued a bulletin in
which it is declared that living costs
have advanced more in six foreign
countries since 1914 than in the Unit-|
! ed States. The advance in Australia,
j it is said, is less than in America since
! 1914.
The prices of the principal food;
j products advanced 88 per cent in the
| United States, compared to advances'
; of 116 per cent in England and 93
i per cent in Canada, according to the
j bulletin.
! CANADIAN-AUSTRALIAN i
! ' CABLE NOT WORKING
_•_
| VANCOUVER, B. C„ Feb. 27 (by
Associated Press).—A break is report
ed in the Canadian-Australian cable,
the first since 1914, when the German
cruiser Nuremburg destroyed the in- j
struments at Fanning island. *
! -
UNIVERSITY INSTRUTOR
DIES BY OWN HAND
* • ,r
y > >
SEATTLE, Feb. 27 (by Associated
Press).—The body of Miss Mary
Dever, physical instructor at the Uni
versity of Washington, was found yes
terday hanging from a rafter.
Miss Dever had been suffering from
melancholia, and it is believed she
committed suicide. She came here
from Baltimore.
MANDATORIES
RESERVATION
IS ADOPTED
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 (by Asso
ciated Press).—The Republican reser
vation on mandatories attached to the
peace treaty last October over the op
position of the Democrats was passed
by the senate yesterday by a vote of
68 to 4, the Democrats withdrawing
their opposition.
This was the first time that a treaty
reservation had been approved by a
two-thirds vote of the senate. It is
not regarded as a substantial break of
the deadlock, however, as the reser
vation had been approved by the Dem
ocrats at the bipartisan conference.
WINNIPEG NEWSPAPERS
TO BE REDUCED IN SIZE
WINNIPEG, Feb. 27 (by Associated
Press).—The newspapers of this city
have been compelled to stop publish
ing advertisements on account of the
shortage of paper. They wall con
tinue the publication of the news.
FRENCH MILITARY TO
DEAL WITH STRIKE
PARIS, Feb. 27 (by Associated
Press).—It is declared that the use
of military measures to deal with the
railway strike, which is seriously af
fecting the country’s transportation,
will be resorted to.
CANADA TO CONSTRUCT
MANY MERCHANT SHIPS
—-•
OTTAWA, Feb. 27 (by Associated
Press).—The government has decided
to ask the Dominion parliament for
an appropriation of $20,000,000 to com
plete the government mercantile ma
rine shipbuilding program.
Sixty-two ships are planned, of
which thirty already are on the ways
oh 'built.
KNOCKOUTBLOW
GIVEN BOOZE
IN KLONDIKE
DAWSON, Y. T„ Feb. 27 (by Asso
ciated Press).—“Bone-dry” prohibition
won in the plebiscite taken here yes
terday. the “drys” defeating both of
the proposals submitted. One fa
vored the continuance of the saloons
and the other favored the establish
ment of government dispensaries.
Robert Lowe of Whitehorse. Gavin
Fowiis of Dawson and Allen McMillan
of Klondike are the leading candidates
in the three districts for seats in the
territorial legislature.
MUCH DAMAGE
IN CALIFORNIA
FROM FLOODS
CALEXICO, Cal., Feb. 27 (by Asso
ciated Press).—The Colorado river
has broken through the Ockerson
levee in two places, and fifty thousand
acres of rich land are being inun
dated. Hundreds of men and teams,*
are unable to repair the breaks.
Both breaks in the Colorado river
are below the Mexican border. It is.
possible that the Imperial valley will
DEMOCRATSOF
N. Y. OPPOSED
TO PROHIBITION
ALBANY, N. Y„ Feb. 27 (by Asso
ciated Press).—The Democratic state
convention yesterday received the re
port of the platform committee, some
of the planks of which Were as fol
lows:
The immediate ratification of the
treaty of peace, without destructive
reservations, is demanded.
Labor is commended for its part in
the world war, and a declaration is
made in favor of the adjustment of the
relations between capital and labor,
and the ending of strikes, lockouts and
boycotts.
A demand is made for a reduction
of taxation.
Opposition to national prohibition is
declared, and a speedy repeal of the
eighteenth amendment to the consti
tution is demanded.
Govrnor Smith’s administration is
indorsed.
Later the report of the committee
was adopted, with an amendment fa
voring an amendment to the federal
constitution whereby all amendments
be ratified by a referendum of the
whole people.
QUICK FLIGHT FROM
SEATTLE TO CAMP LEWIS
CAMP LEWIS, Wash., Feb. 27 (by
Associated Press).—Major Smith, the
aviator who flew from San Diego to
Seattle, arrived here today twenty
seven minuses after leaving Seattle.
Fears were entertained for his safety
for a time, as he failed to report at
headquarters here until some time
after his arrival.
OMAHA PIANO PLANT
DESTROYED BY FIRE
OMAHA, Feb. 27 (by Associated
Press).—Fire at the Hichmolder &
Muellor piano plant last night resulted
in a loss of $400,000.
NEW OIL LAND - LEASING LAW
WITH SPECIAL ALASKA PROVISO
A copy of the bill signed by Presi
dent Wilson on February 25, provid
ing for the “mining of coal, phos
phate, oil, gas and sodium on the pub
lic domain,” was received in Cordova
in the last mail. It provides, among
other things, that “deposits of coal,
phosphate, sodium, oil, oil shale, or
gas, and lands containing such depos
its owned by the United States, in
cluding those in national forests, but
excluding lands acquired under the
act known as the Appalachian forest
act .... and those in national
parks, and in lands withdrawn or re
served for military or naval uses or
purposes, except as hereinafter pro
vided, shall be subject to disposition
in the form and manner provided in
this act to citizens of the United
States, or to any association of such
persons, or to any corporation organ
ized under the laws of the United
States, or of any state or territory
thereof, and in the case of coal, oil,
oil shale, or gas, to municipalities:
Provided, That the United States re
serves the right to extract helium from
all gas produced from lands permit
ted, leased, or otherwise granted un
der the provisions of this act, un^er
such rules and regulations as shall be
prescribed by the secretary of the in
terior: Provided further, That in the
extraction of helium from gas pro
duced from such lands, it shall be so
extracted as to cause no substantial
delay in the delivery of gas produced
from the well to the purchaser there
of: And provided further, That citi
zens of another country, the laws, cus
toms or regulations of which deny sim
ilar or like privileges to citizens or
corporations of tihs country, shall not
by stock ownership, stock holding or
corporations of this country, shall not
stock control own any interest in any
lease acquired under the provisions of
this act.”
Alaska Excluded from Coal Provisions
Section 2 of the act provides for the
leasing of coal lands, but as there is
in operation a statute applying espe
cially to Alaska coal lands, the coal
lands of this territory are excluded
from the provisions of the present
from the present law. Several sec
tions following apply to coal and phos
phate deposits, which are not of par
ticular interest here.
Oil and Gas
Section 13 of the act, and sections
following, give the general conditions
under which oil and gas lands may be
leased and are as follows:
“Sec. 13. That the secretary of the
interior is hereby authorized, under
such necessary and proper rules and
regulations as he may prescribe, to
grant to any applicant qualified under
this act a prospecting permit, which
shall give the exclusive right, for a
period not exceeding two years, to
exceed 2,560 acres of land wherein
such deposits belong to the United
States and are not within any known
geological structure of a producing oil
or gas field upon condition that the
permittee shall begin drilling opera
tions within six months from the date
of permit, drill one or more wells for
oil or gas to a depth of not less than
500 feet each, unless valuable depos
its of oil or gas shall be sooner dis
covered, and shall, within two years
from date of the permit, drill for oil
or gas to an aggregate depth of not
less than 2,000 feet unless valuable
deposits of oil or gas shall be sooner
discovered. The secretary of the in
terior may, if he shall find that the
permittee has been unable with the
exercise of diligence to test the land
in the time granted by the permit, ex
tend any such permit for such time,
not exceeding two years, and upon
such conditions as he shall prescribe.
Whether the lands sought in any such
application and permit are surveyed
or unsurveyed the applicant shall,
prior to filing his application for per
mit, locate such lands in a reasonably
compact form and according to the
legal subdivisions of the public land
surveys if the land be surveyed; and
in an approximately square or rectan
gular tract if the land be an unsur
veyed tract, the length of which shall
not exceed two and one-half times its
width, and if he shall cause to be
erected upon the land for which a
permit is sought a monument not less
than four feet high, at some conspicu
ous place thereon, and shall post a
notice in writing on or near said monu
ment, stating that an application for
permit will be made within thirty days
after date of posting said notice, the
name of the applicant, the date of the
notice, and such a general description
of the land to be covered by such per
mit by reference to courses and dis
tances from such monument and such
other natural objects and. permanent
monuments as will reasonably identify
the land, stating the amount thereof
in acres; he shall during the period
of thirty days following such marking
and posting be entitled to a prefer
ence right over others to a permit for
the land so identified. The applicant
shall, within ninety days after receiv
ing a permit, mark each of the corners
of the tract described in the permit
upon the ground with substantial mon
uments, so that the boundaries can be
readily traced on the ground, and shall
post in a conspicuous place upon the
lands a notice that such permit has
been granted and a description of the
That in the territory of Alaska pros
pecting permits not more than five in
lands covered thereby: Provided,
number may be granted to any quali
fied applicant for periods not exceed
ing four years, actual drilling opera
tions shall begin within two years
from date of permit, and oil and gas
wells shall be drilled to a depth of not
less than 500 feet, unless valuable de
posits of oil or gas shall be sooner
.discovered, within three years from
date of the permit and to an aggre
gate depth of not less than 2,000 feet
unless valuable deposits of oil or gas
shall be sooner discovered, within
four years from date of permit: Pro
identified by temporary monuments
and notice posted on or near-the same
for six months following such marking
and posting, and upon receiving a per
mit he shall mark the corners of the
tract described in the permit upon the
ground with substantial monuments
within one year after receiving such
permit.
How Leases Are Granted
“Sec. 44. That upon establishing
to the satisfaction of the secretary of
the interior that valuable deposits of
oil or gas have been discovered within
the limits of the land embraced in any
vided further, That in said territory
the applicant shall have a preference
right over others to a permit for land
permit, the permittee shall be entitled
to a lease for one-fourth of the land
(Continued on Page Two)
«
i
PACKERS MUST
DISSOLVE ALL
SIDE PRO. CTS
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 (by Asso
ciated Press).—The decree agreed
upon between the five big meat-pack
ing concerns of the country and tJh«
government, under which the “big
five” packers are forever enjoined
from engaging in any business besides
that of handling meat products, was
filed in the supreme court of the Dis
trict of Columbia today.
Attorney General Palmer, who sub
mitted the decree, said that it re
moved the menace of control of un
related industries by the “big five."
Counsel for the packers said the
defendants had agreed to the decree
not because of guilt, but so that the
American people might be assured
that there was no possibility of a food
monopoly by the packers.
The attorney general said the de
cree would restore freedom of compe
tition and increase the opportunities
for individual initiative in business by
blocking the domination of many lines
by the “big five.”
SOVIET RUSSIA
PEACE TERMS
TURNED DOWN
-0
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 (by Associ
ated Press).—In the new peace pro
posals just submitted to the great
powers, soviet Russia pledges the
establishment of democratic princi
ples to Russia, and the calling of a
constituent assembly. The soviet gov
ernment promises to withdraw the de
cree annulling the foreign debt and
restoring the 60 per cent liability, to
1 pay arrears of interest, and to give as
security valuable mining concessions
to an Anglo-American syndicate.
In return the soviet would require
the abandonment of all intervention in
Russian affairs, and proposes that the
United States allow credit to Russia
conditioned upon concessions. ~ ^
The state department announced '**
today that the proposal of soviet Rus
sia for peace with the United States
would receive no consideration from
Washington.
RETAIN HUGHES
TO FIGHT FOR
PROHIBITION
AUGUSTA, Me., Feb. 27 (by Associ
ated Press).—Twenty-six states hare
signified their determination to help
the state of Maine in opposing the
Rhode Island move before the United
States supreme court to declare the
prohibition amendment unconstitu
tional. The state of Washington is
not among them.
Hughes to Defend Prohibition
PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 27 (by As
sociated Press).—The state of Oregon
has agreed to join the state of Maine
in opposing the action brought by
Rhode Island in the United States su
preme court to test the validity of the
prohibition amendment.
Charles E. Hughes, former justice
of the supreme court, and Republican
candidate for President in 1916, has
been retained by the states defending
the validity of the prohibition amend
ment.
FISH QUOTATIONS
KETCHIKAN. Feb. 27—Yester
day’s fish prices were: Halibut, firsts.
8^c; seconds, 6c.; sablefish, 3c; red
rock, 2%c.
4