Compiled by Don Hoiness from archived copies of The Bulletin at the Des Chutes Historical Museum.

100 YEARS AGO

For the week ending

March 15, 1914

The Creamery (Editorial)

The plan to establish a co-operative creamery here is progressing well. Four facts are established: there are enough cows to warrant the institution; that the farmers would benefit by it; that this community would benefit proportionately to the farmers; and that Bend business men stand ready to supply the necessary capital.

Emphasis upon one point is desirable, so that those who have not been present at the Commercial Club luncheons may understand it thoroughly. It is that the fundamental desire of all concerned is to have the creamery owned and operated by farmers and for farmers. This should be emphasized because of a notion abroad to the effect that it was pure selfishness which got the business men interested in the scheme: in short, that it was entirely a “town enterprise,” and a money-making one at that.

Of course the motive behind the work is selfishness. But it is a very unselfish selfishness. The business men who will advance money to get the creamery started are doing so because they know that what helps the farmer helps the town and themselves. There’s where the selfishness comes in. But no business man has any expectation of dividends. None of them expect or desire to retain stock. Their financial contribution will be in the shape of a loan, and just as soon as the cream producers are able to repay the loan and take over the stock they are the ones to conduct the creamery.

St. Patrick’s Dance

The Irish will hold their fourth St. Patrick’s day ball in Sather’s Hall on Tuesday evening. The committee of arrangements have made preparations to give their guests an enjoyable evening. Music for dancing will be furnished by Forrest’s orchestra.

Notice

The attention of all owners of poultry is called to City Ordinance No. 34, providing that fowls shall not be allowed to run at large in the city. All such owners are warned to keep their poultry yarded.

— S.E. Roberts, Chief of Police

75 YEARS AGO

For the week ending

March 15, 1939

Another Hitler Victory (Editorial)

The Czechoslovakian republic is falling apart and the parts, quite naturally are falling into the lap of Germany as its dictator, Adolph Hitler, willed that they should.

France and England are making no effort to avert disaster from the nation which they were instrumental in creating. It is as well that they should keep out of it; the time has passed when their intervention could have helped. When that time was in the present their intervention, moreover, was of the ill-advised sort which must have the leaders of the doomed nation to breath a prayer, “Heaven protect us from our friends.”

The fall of Czecho-Slovakia did not come in a day, but once the Sudeten area had passed into German hands the fate of the remainder of the country was inevitable. From Berlin came the instructions for the nazification of the Sudetenland Germans who presently provided the excuse for Hitler to take a hand. After that time Slovakia came more and more under German influence until an apparently voluntary plea for German protection was made. It was not ignored.

Today all Czechoslovakian division have been either taken into Germany or are puppet states with Hitler pulling the strings. They will become parts of Germany or not as may suit the fancy of the man who is out-Bismarking Bismark in his acquisition of new territory for the reich.

With his control of Slovakia, Carpatho-Ukraine, Moravia and Bohemia comes control of the world’s largest munitions works and with that the threat of force which he has used in his bloodless conquests becomes even more fearsome.

It will be used again when he starts further expansion to consolidate his empire to the north and south from what was Czechoslovakia, and it will be a more potent weapon than ever before. Only Russia has the strength to venture a test of it with any hope of a successful outcome.

Russian Armydeclared ready

Soviet Russia’s peace-time army strength is more then 2,500,000 men, Defense Commissar Klementi Voroshilov told the 18th communist party congress in an apparent warning against nazi Germany’s “march to the east.”

50 YEARS AGO

For the week ending

March 15, 1964

Clay breaks with Malcolm X

Heavyweight champion Cassius Clay, proclaiming himself “a prophet, like Moses,” met today with Black Muslim leader Elijah Muhammad “to learn from my teacher.”

Clay, who claims he has been a Muslim for more than four years, apparently has broken with Malcolm X, the former No. 2 man of the Muslim movement who has begun organizing a politically oriented black nationalist movement.

Clay said during an airport news conference after arrival here Friday night that he opposes Malcolm X’s suggestion that blacks organize “rifle clubs” and begin to “fight back in self defense.”

Clay said, “I’m against that. There are too many rifles. There are too many airplanes. I hate nobody. Hate is ignorance, I don’t believe in violence.”

Clay carried a thick wooden cane, carved like a totem pole. “It’s the kind of cane that Moses carried. I’m a prophet like Moses. My predictions come true,” he said.

Clay said his Muslim name is “‘Muhammad Ali’ and I’m a true follower of Elijah Muhammad. I face east five times a day.” He wore a red and white Muslim pin in his lapel.

“You reporters make more of a fuss and are more concerned over a righteous, clean living person like me, but you don’t do anything about (ex-heavyweight champion Sonny) Liston, with the type of life he’s had,” Clay said.

Of his own career, he said, “I’m king of them all. It’s impossible for anyone to beat me. I’m impossible to hit.” But he said he is considering retirement. “I don’t know what I’ll do. God’s got me picked for something.”

Bridge to Nowhere (Editorial)

The Portland newspapers insist in calling the Astoria Bridge “the bridge to nowhere.” This has managed to cause some hard feelings in Astoria, where the newspaper, the Daily Astorian, says the bridge will make the drive to the Seattle or Tacoma area as easy as the drive to Portland.

Since Seattle and Tacoma both have stores to rival Portland’s we would guess that the Astorian is threatening Portland with economic retaliation.

This won’t work, at least until Oregon can get a sales tax to match Washington State’s. Astorians, no matter what the newspaper says, aren’t going to drive to Seattle and pay sales tax just to spite Portland.

When one sits here in Central Oregon, where things are generally pretty calm, it is hard to see how or why the Oregonian went about riling the Astorians. On the other hand it has been no secret that Astoria has been in the economic doldrums for some time now. Tempers are probably short.

The bridge might lead to nowhere right now. But it should give Astoria a boost in tourist business at least. And since all of us will have to share in the debt if the bridge doesn’t pay for itself, we’d better get busy and push it just a bit.

25 YEARS AGO

For the week ending

March 15, 1989

Police officer haltsrailroad hijacking

What might have ended up as a wild train ride for a Vancouver, Wash., man who started a train Wednesday, ground to a halt after a Bend police officer demanded he stop the train.

A local resident alerted police at about 4:30 p.m. that he had seen a man crawl into the locomotive of a Burlington Northern train parked behind Brandy’s Restaurant off highway 97 in Bend.

The train has stopped to change engineers, police said.

Officer Rex Catt arrived soon after, but the train began moving.

“I heard the noise of the engine racing,” Catt said. “He blew the whistle a couple of times and the train started backing up.”

A Burlington Northern official later told Catt the man must have activated several safety switches to take the train out of neutral. He added that this would be a near impossible feat for someone who knows little about trains.

Catt ran around to the other side of the engine, and discovered “he was there at the controls.” Catt climbed aboard and ordered the man to stop the train. He was arrested and charged with first degree theft and taken to the Deschutes County Jail.

Catt admitted he doesn’t know much about trains.

“Yesterday was my first and hopefully my last experience with trains under those circumstances,” Catt said.

The train, which weighs more than 5 million pounds, probably would have reached a dangerous speed due to the slope of the track, police said. It would have traveled north toward Deschutes Junction near Bend.

The train is almost 2,000 feet long and is valued at more than $2 million. Twenty-two of the train’s 33 cars were loaded with materials including lumber, plywood and fertilizer, he said.