, 1866-08-17

inclined to step into some snoP ana "Ai' VA .ns
crowd got past
But Il is not the particular growth Of San
Francisco, nor tie hdmber of houses erected
last year, nor the number Of stOryS high they
may be, nor whether they have stone, marble or
brick ffputs, that will interest you or your eiti-
Eens. To you, particularly. few items relative
10 tie pusitlon Of the newspapers would be rel
ished your merchants would like to know the
condition of the markets, prices Of goods aFnid
quantity in market, and your farmers would
like to hear about the crops and ruling prices
of grain, etc.
Well, as to the papers, they are all having a
gay time of it-some are floating round in
space. The little Call don't seem to know who
she "belongs to-" politically. The Alto is all
over nothing politically. The Bulletin seems to
be divided against itself. One ofits owners and
editors is in the East and supports President
johnson in all his editorial communications,
while the San Francisco editors and owners sup
port Congress, good and strong so the Bulletin
on the outside is Johnson, and the Bulletin on
the inside is Congress. One of its San Francis
co editors has gone East, it is presumed to make
some arrangements with AZ. W. 81 so the pa
per hereafter may be one thing or the other
The Examiner hammers at nothing but Democra-
cy, takes Johnson and Congress both under its
folds, when right, and throws them higher than
kite when be conceives they are wrong.
As for the " craps they are reported huge,
and of vegetables and fruits there is no end
they stare you in the face everywhere. The in
vestmeut of two bits would be the death Of you,
if fruit huugry-in cholera times.
Merchants seem to be busy and large lots OF
goods are moving in every direction. There is
no lack of any kind of goods you can call for.
Boats; vessels, wharvesi warehouses and stores
seem to be " chuck-a-block," /" and hundreds of
tons arriving every day.
The merchants of San Francisco seem to be
deeply interested in the Montana, Idaho and
Washington Territory trade. From those have
conversed with, am convinced they know more
about Montana and its approaches than the peo-
pie of Portland. The great stumbling block
with the San Francisco merchants comes at first
word-oregon Steam Navigation Company.
ho, and through these channels we are now
forced to travel to Montana, rather than enrich
hogish and unreasonable monopoly, simply be.
cause they claim the exclusive right to the great
highway leading to that section of country from
this side-the Columbia river. They say the on
ly hope for them, through Oregon, is an oppo-
sition steamboat company on the Columbia that
will pay attention to reighting on that river and
land freight where required by the shipper at
pro rata freight now charged by the o. S. N. Co.
charge us S., so per ton and take our freight one
hundred msles out of our way; or charge US $50
! per ton to land,it same distance by boat but.one
hundred and fifty miles nearer than the $3.50
point When any set of men attempt to force
business in this way, they say, they ought to be
put down, and l think they are right.
The points alluded to by the San Francisco
merchants are the difference in distance and
price of freight charged by the o. S. N. Co. be-
tween Wallula and White Bluffs and Wallula
and Palouse Rapids, on Snake river. The o..
s. N. 20. keep boat at Wallpla to run ,once a
week to Lewiston, l65 miles, little north of
east of Wallula, on Snake river, and once a
week to White Bluffs, on the Columbia, about
sixty miles northwest of Wallula. Palouse
Landing is sixty miles up Snake river, and is
northeast from Wallula and your prorer di-
rection in leaving Wallula is north east to the
lake. Now, why should the o. s. n. Co. only
charge $3.50 per ton. from wallula to White
Bluffs, which is 60 miles northwest, (1Oo miles
out Of the way, and no road) and charge $40
per ton from Wallula tn Palouse Landing, which
is sixty miles north east in the right directioni
These were questions could not answer, but
they were answered by San Francisco msr.
chant l can tell you some of the reasons thai
prompt this o. s. N Co. to act in this manifest
bad faith; they are looking towards railroad
, interests. Three of their Company, including
their Vice President, are in the east. They are
playing to have some of the Pacific Rail ROAD
strike the Columbia river at or near, Wallula
. then turn their steamboat stock into cars from
thence to Portland. But they still want town
, above Wallula. They know PalouSe, wallula
WallA Walla and Lewiston are natural point,
I and will take care of themselves but they mus
force White Bluffs and Ringold City and Skunk
Hollow, for they can't stand alone.
3 But while the o. S. N. Co. are "plottins
= against the nation" can assure them tha
{ there are parties here who are looking in otbe,
$ directions that will make quite large differ
e ence to these one-ideaed men. If San Francis
Q co merchants once concentrate on any one rout,
s outside Of the Columbia river, then good. by,
o. s. N. Co.
: Parties are now examining the feasibility o
' shipping goods to some point on the Sound
a and from thence across the country to wallula
both for Idaho and Montana Territories, usiu,
the road lately built. They tell me they cal
raise S6o,ooo in San Francisco to put goo,
road through from the Sound to the Columbia;
=, Another point now under discussion is Lo