Newspaper Page Text

LOST MILLION JUST PADDING

Paulhamus ..ays the Puyallup

valley farmers, organized, "are

strong enough to spit in the eye

of any railway official without fear

of being annihilated." To learn

how they attained that strength

read article on page 8.

SLAVERS AUCTION NUDE GIRL

STUMPING THE COUNTRY FOR PREPAREDNESS

MARTIN

COMING

Reception Plans

Fall Through

Spite of All-

Due Tonight

Mr. T. H. Martin, eminent Ta

toman, will return home, It is

thought, on the North Coast Lim

ited at 9 o'clock tonight.

The Times' suggestion, made

In a page-one editorial a few

days ago, that a band, string of

' autos and reception committee be

at the station to greet him, has

met, strange enough, with a very

weak response.

Sam Wall, the Uft-the-curse

man, who surely Is the logical Ta

comau to head the reception com

mittee, was as hard *o find today

as front-yard roses, ml we have

- to limp off to press vitli the ad

mission that we haven't signed

him up for the job.

Autos are finding it hard to

navigate, and bands—well, no

• body offered a band,

The reason we were so anxlouH

for Tacoma to greet Mr. T. H.

Martin properly was to recognize

the splendid way in which he

represented Tacoma at Washing

ton during his present lobbying

expedlton.

He told the National Press

club that the name "Tacoma" was

Quite passe as a title for the

mountain, that it simply was not

done any more by our best peo

ple, that "Rainier" had been

agreed on by Seattleites and Ta

comans alike, and lord knows

, wh*t else.

P. B.—After this was written a

printer suggested that the rent

reason the reception plans fell

through is simply alush. Take

your choice.

Celebrate

Thrift Day

Thrift Day is a new

institution, growing

out of a national move

ment several years old.

Its first annual ob

servance will be ♦Feb

ruary 3, day after to

morrow.

The way to celebrate

is "by doing some

thrifty deed."

A good deposit or a

new account — either

savings or checking —

litre would be one

mighty good way to

honor the new day.

Puget Sound

State Bank

1115 Pacific A venae

The Tacoma Times

r 1 THE ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER IN TACOMA. Y~ZZ

25c a Home

Month VOL- XIIL N0- 37- TACOMA, WASH., TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 191 G. Edition

Tacoma Wants

No Return to

Spoils System

Tomorrow it will be up to the city council

to dispose of a resolution looking to the aboli

tion of Tacoma's civil service system.

There is just one course to be pursued by the

counci 1, if its members wish to act in accord

with good sense and with the wishes of the ma

jority of Tacomans.

That is to file and forget the resolution.

There positively is no demand for doing

away with the present plan, except on the part

of a few inefficient workers who are unable to

obtain city jobs because they cannot come up

to the required standards, a few cheap poli

ticians who would like to have a finger in the

appointments and a few mossbacks who con

sider that the methods which they learned in

their youths are the best of all possible meth

ods.

Tacoma does not want to return to the spoils

system. What alterations is to be made in our

civil service system must be an improvement

of the system, not its destruction.

GERMAN

SEIZES

SAILS

NORFOLK, Feb. I.—ln

charge of a German prize

crew, the African liner Ap

pam, previously reported lost

in a heavy storm, cant anchor

In Hampton Roads this morn

lug. Immigration and cus

toms officials boarded the

liner.

Some passengers were found

sick. All were excited by the

strange adventures through which

the vessel had passed.

They declared that a German

armed merchantman attacked

the Appam Jan. 15, off the Canary

Islands.

The prize crew, in command of

Lieut. Oscar Berg, was put

aboard, then the raider disap

peared.

Shots across her bow first

stopped the Appam. The liner re

sisted capture, believing at first

that It was pirates attacking, but

the two guns aboard proved un

equal to the task.

Both steamers lowered their

boats. When the German prixe

crew boarded the Appam bloody

fighting occurred on her decks.

Several were Injured, two dying

RAIDER

VESSEL,

HER HERE

Commander Harrison then sur

rendered and the prize crew head

ed the Appam for America.

Berlin Admits It.

When the Germans captured

the Appam they liberated a score

of German prisoners captured in

West Africa, en route to London.

It is believed the prisoners aided

the crew in preventing a mutiny

during a voyage to America re

cently,

Berlin announced today that a

British liner has been captured

off the coast of Africa, and a hun

dred of the crew have been turned

over to the Senussl rebels.

SANK FREIGHTER

The vessel which captured the

Appam sank a meat-laden Aus

tralian freighter within sight of

the Appam, the crew and pas

sengers said. Beside the 800

passengers and crew, 800 Brit

ish prisoners were transferred

from the raider and brought

here.

BRITISH TO ACT

WASHINGTON, D. C, Feb.* 1.

—The British embassy is expect

ed to request the release of the

Appam.

FLOODS

MENACE

If Chinook Wind

Should Blow It

Would Do Vast

Damage Here

One of the worst floods in the

history of Tacoma will occur if a

Chinook wind melts the present

heavy blanket of snow that covers

Western Washington.

The danger from a chlnook is

chiefly to the speed with which

it converts the snow to water.

City and county authorities are

watching the weather anxiously

today, fearing for the safety of

bridges, sewers and other public

improvements the minute that

the thaw sets In.

James Hayes, county bridge

inspector, consulted with mem

bers of the city council today

over the condition of city bridges.

It is believed that all city bridges

are strong enough to withstand

any flood.

Low Today, But—

"The Puyallup and other riv

ers are still very low today," de

clared the bridge inspector.

"But with all this slushy suow

on the ground, a warm wind

would cause floods of almost un

heard of proportions. I think

that all of the county bridges

are safe enough to withstand

the high water, but one never

can tell what might happen In

flood time.

The rivers are low today be

cause the slight warm spell in

Tacoma did not affect the foot

hills v here the rivers get their

conception. Freezing weather

still prevails there."

City Hall Leaks.

Today's slight thaw caused

endless trouble in Tacoma

So heavy did the snow become

on the 11th street bridge, that it

was necessary to send a squad of

men to clear It off before the lift

could be raised. "There were 75

tons of wet snow on the bridge,

and it wouldn't budge an Inch

until we had the weight re

moved," said Commissioner

Woods.

The roof of the city hall

threatened to collapse today

when eight inches of snow on It

began to melt. The pressure of

the soggy snow caused the roof

to bulge downwards in several

places, and several leaks formed

sending streams of water down

Into the offices below. Work

men shoveled a large part of the

snow away.

Sewers Are Heavily Loaded.

Sewers are filled to capacity

with slush and water. No breaks

have occurred. Commissioner

Woo-s declared today that Im

mense damage would occur If

another freeze-up comes at this

time.

City snow plows that have here

tofore been pulled by two horses

required four animals to pull

them through the wet. slush to

day.

Hill streets were impassable

tor automobiles unless equipped

Where Do You

Stand on Rates,

Mr. Governor?

(AN OPEN LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR)

Gov. Ernest Lister:—We are not addressing

this note to you in any spirit of complaint. We

know you are a very busy man these days,

but—

We want to ask you this:

Why aren't you joining with us folks in

fighting to get back the rightful tourist travel

to our northwest cities, of which the southern

railroads have been allowed to rob us by un

just discriminatory passenger rates?

We are in the fight, every one of us - hotel

men, shipping men, business men, auto clubs,

commercial organizations. All-except that

one degenerated, dying-by-inches Seattle

Chamber of Commerce. And that one can't

get in because its patched breeches are weight

ed down to the runboards with railroad money.

Is there any reason, Mr. Governor, why you,

as the chosen leader of the folks of Washing

ton, should not take an active leadership in

' this fight?

J -Surely you are too wise to be buffaloed by

*%the wheedling, lying complaints of the prize

' double crossers representing the Seattle Cham

ber^ Commerce.

Speak out, Mr. Governor.

•rTalko'theTimesTl

HMM_nBMMM__-nMH_HIM-^

(.reding*, did you know

tbnt the T. R. ft P. Co. Is

nim known as the Tacoma

Refrigerating ft Packing?

That Sunset concern certainly

Is awfully careless. Right on the

heeis of losing completely $1,

--065.74. r i of property, it develops

that the company has paid an

other million dollars too much

for poles, or, at least, thinks it

has.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF

HAPPINESS

Hirer up. It might be

worse. Just suppose you had

a quart, and no throat to

swallow It with.

After all, the poor man has

some advantages. There is never

a big crowd at his heels, urging

him to run for office.

THE SILVER LINING

Anyhow, the motorcycles

FLASHES

SEATTLE—A steamer, evi

dently abandoned by her crew,

was sighted today floundering

helplessly In the storm outside

Cap* Flattery by the Japanese

steamer Kll mi Maru.

WASHINGTON, D. C.—Secre

tarjr Lansing received today Aus

tria's denial that an Austrian

submarine had sunk the steamer

Persia.

WASHINGTON—Former Secre

tary of State Bryan announced to

day that he would take the stump

in the middle west against Wil

son's preparedness program.

SEATTLE —Alaska's export and

import trade for 1915 totaled

$82/864,122.

LONDON —It was announced

today that the government's con

scription law would become oper

ative March 2.

with chains. Several near-acci

dents occurred when machines

slid helplessly back down hill,

after the wheels had spun around

uselessly on the slick ice and

snow.

/'Taconla's going to see the

worrst flood of her experience if

a warm wind conies now," de

clared Commissioner Woods to-i

day. 'We are prepared to meet)

it, so far as any department can

be, but there isn't much we can

do except island by and wait for

the water to come."

are practically out of com

mission for a day or two-

Old man Cover keeps shooting

slush along faster than Owen

Woods can haul it away.

SPAHKV DAY

Page-one heads in last

night's News:

"First sparks fly over dis

crepancies."

"Flareup in Ltudtania crisis

hinted."

"Sparks flying, but there

Is no crisis."

LEARN TO DANCE

"PAN AMERICAN"

It's 1916' i Rod, White

and Blue Step.

Miss Atmee Ehrlich and

Robert Henri, famous dancers,

creators of the Pan-American,

have prepared six lessons which

Illustrate the latest dance.

The first leason appears in

The Times today. See page ...

WEATHER

Tacoma and vicinity: Rain to

night and Wednesday, not so cold.

Washington: Rain west, snow

east portion tonight and Wednes

day, not so cold.

Pastor's Daughter

Is Stolen From

Doorway--Sold

On Block

MM VOIIK, Feb. I.—

Rescued from weeks of ter

rible shivery, pretty IH-year

old Marie Klein, daughter of

Pastor ('buries Klein of the

llethany Reformed church,

told todnj bow she had been

kldna|M'd and auctioned,

nude, to v gang of lustful

brute*.

Missing since Her. 16. she

bad been held in an Italian

colony at Williamsburg. Her

■ISty of orgies there shocked

even hardened police author-

ities.

"_im_j_y Naples dragged me

from our doorway on the after

noon of Dec. 16," fine said. "He

showed nic a revolver and threat

ened to kill me if I tried to

escape.

"Then he forced me to take

|49l worth of Jewels and $35 In

cash from my parents, after which

he drove me to a house In the

Italian colony at Williamsburg,

locked rue In a room and tool;

away my clothes.

"At a Christmas ball of the col

USED FOR BOOST

IN PHONE RATES,

NOT FOR TAXES

Solved—the myWerjr of

tlie missing millions!

No, we haven't found all

those intangible bits of

pri>l>ert.y of the Pacific

which the company says it

knows it owns but just can't

locate.

Nor have we discovered

the gold trimmings or some

thing whk'U, according to

the figures of UM phone

company to the public serv

ice commission, have more

than doubled the price of

telephone itoles In the last

six years.

But though we have not found

the missing telephone millions

(and It is very likely that nobody

ever will) the mystery has been

cleared. The clue was found in

a dry old law book (Chap. 182,

House Bill No. .28) in a para

graph of a law passed by that

notorious legislature of ours

which sat In the halls of Olympia

In the year 1913.

The paragraph was stuck away

in an insignificant, out-of-the

way place where nobody would

be likely to find It, except those

who had It put there—ln case of

emergency.

Here's what it says—that the

valuations of corporations' prop

erty, as made by the commission,

"shall be admissible in evidence

in any action, proceeding or

hearing, EXCEPTING WITH

RESPECT TO MATTERS OF

ASSESSMENT AND TAXA

TION."

Get It? It's made to order—

for the very purpose of allowing

this telephone company of tak

ing just as much cash out of '.ts

patrons' pockets as it thinks it

can get away with.

Just l*ure Myth.

That mlsßlng million dollars

worth of property which the

company says It owns, and that

so-called million dollar jump in

the price of telephone poles nev

er have been, never are and nev

er shall be, world without end.

The little joker, or rider, or

whatever you may call It, In the

public service law amendment of

1913, encourages a corporation

such as the phone company to

slap on figures by the dozens in

the valuation of Its property be

fore the public service commis

sion la order to get the very

highest rates possible from Its

patrons.

For the law protects them. It

says our county assessor cannot

take the company's padded val

uations and assess the company

onists I was sold. Naples had

been the doorkeeper of my room

and he admitted many men. The

dance was hrcaklng up and it

was getting toward dawn. I \va»

terribly ill.

"Naples called the men bacK

and said I would be auctioned off.

Then they brought me down nude,

but I was too ill to know much of

what was going on. Then they

placed me on a stage and held me

there while the brutes bid.

"I was delirious, but I could

faintly hear them—s2s, $30, $33.

and then by $1 and 60-cent In

creases until I was sold to some

one for $s.i 1 don't know who

bought me, for 1 became uncon

scious and woke up In the cottage

where the detectives found me."

Naples, the alleged abductor, Is

under arrest, but he was taken

only alter a struggle in which de

tectives beat him nearly uncon

scious to subdue him.

After the girl disappeared, it la

charged, he terrorized her parent*

with threats to out out their

hearts if they sought to connect

him with the case.

accordingly. The figures sworn

to before the public service com

mission, cannot be used by the

assessor In slumming on the

taxes.

By no means. The corpora

tion must submit an entirely new

set of figures to our county as-.

sessors, The assessor, in spite

of the fact that a valuation al

ready has been made, must waste

the taxpayers' money In making

a new valuation and assessment.

Had Hunch, Maybe.

The property valuation sub

mitted by the company to the as

sessor for taxation is just as ex

tremely low as that submitted to

the public service commission for

rate making is extremely bulky

with padding.

Something must have turned

over at the state capital between

1911 and 1913. Perhaps the

phone company had a hunch the

rate hearing was coming up be

fore long. It Is certain the com

pany didn't like the looks of the

original law of 1911, which said:

"When the commission

shall have valued the prop

eity of any public service

company nothing less than

tbe market value so found

by the commission shall i><>

taken us a true value of the

propni.v of such company

used for the public conveni

ence for the purpose of as

sessment und taxation."

8o at the hearing In the Fed

eral building the phone company

is taking unto Itself property _y

the millions. At least or.c mil

lion of this it says can't be

found. Another million it says

is attached to its telephone poles.

And ho on, until they have val

ued their property, for the pur

pose of making rates, at $10,

--000,Ono more than the stale en

gineers value it.

Tax this $10,000,000. No

chance!

The legislators of 1913 put up

a fence to hide behind when it

comes to taxation.

Now if the company could only

bluff Chairman Reynolds and

the rest of the public servlee

commission, we phoners would

have to pay.

But the public service commis

sion isn't going to be buncoed.

II units HELD OVER

The January term of Jurors

were held over to try two crim

inal rases this week. A jury was

drawn today to try Isaac Clauson

on a second degree burglary

charge before Judge Card.