The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1867-01-12
Linn city Railroad,

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Mr.. Freeride, up at Corvallis, il Oat
again in defense of the P. T. Company.
He pays quite dearly for an occasional
''free" ride on the Willamette. The Com
pany ought not to charge him anything
for his meals or for buRk; aud they
ought to pay him several prices for their
advertisement The poor fellow earns
much more than he will receive. The
company ought to pay him say $500 more
out of the money they daily take in by
the scoop-shovel full. We feel deeply in
terested in our editorial brother, aud hope
the p I. Company, for once, will be lib
Ieral.
Our friend, Freeride, says that, should
every newspaper in the State pursue the
policy we do relative to the Peoples
Transportation Company, sit would deter
capitalists from investing one dollar in
public improvements in the State, the
spirit Of enterprise would be crushed, and
Oregon would never occupy the proud
position to which she is entitled" He
adds:
'It was this same distrusting, selfish, dog the
manger spirit in conjunction Hitk the rele Of bar
bar:sm, which you cam" here TO try 10 fasten upon
Oregon. that has kept your beloved Missouri Of
which you boast, . quarter Of century behind
her younger sister States"
Mr.. Freeyide is informed that we do
not hail from "bcloved Missouri" and
that We are not opposed to public i'm
provements. Our record will show that
We have ever favored them with all the
zeal and ability which We possess, when
projected upon a proper basis. The p.
I. Company have our permission to build
as many railroads around the falls of the
Willamette, son the Linn City side" or
any side, as they please. But We will
guarantee that they will not expend dol.
lar, at any place on the Willamette, or
elsewhere, except they are convinced it
will be for their interest to do so. They
are not actuated by considerations affect
ing the public veal, in the expenditure
of money. Ifthey are convinced it"will
pay" they will pitch n;-if not, they
will grip their money With death-grasp.
Our Corvallis neighbor viii permit US
to say that, in all he has yet written in
behalf of the p. T. Co., he has hitherto
utterly failed to meet and handle the main
and essential point which we make against
them, viz: That they are a crushing,
grinding, soulless monopoly, charging
three or four times more for freight and
passage than they ought to do, and than
they would do if there were any competi-
ton. We repeat This point has never
been fairly and squarely met by the Ga
zette, or Enterprise, or Oregonian. What
is more, we predict it never will be fairly
met. The argument OF the Gazette that,
because We thus oppose the P. I. Co., we are
therefore opposed to "the woolen facto-
ries, the machine shops and foundries, the
paper and other mills, the railroad, tele-
graph, stage line, and IN short, to every
thing that leads or tends to the develop
ment of the resources of our State" is
puerile. We have not opposed any OF
these interests yet, because they are not
monopolies, except, perhaps, the tele-
graph. The willamette Woolep Factory
is not monopoly, because it has a brisk
competition in similar factories located at
Brownsville, Glendale and Oregon City.
The paper mill will be kept within bounds
by having to compete with paper mills
and paper merchants in San Francisco
and British Columbia. IF the stage lines
tariff become too high, the traveller can
patronize livery stables. The telegraph
from California to Portland is monopo-
ly, nearly as mean, and soulless, and op-
pressive-as far as it goes--as that of the
P. T.. Company. During the time we
were connected with the Herald, at Port
land, We paid 800 every week for tbe
telegraphic dispatches. Nor can they be
had for any less sum until another line
shall be built; then they will be Afforded
for about $50 per week.
We ask the Gazette to meet our facts
and arguments. against the P. 7. Com
pany, fairly and squarely, and not raise
side issues, and valiantly knock oyer men
Of straw of his own creation. Freight
IS conveyed from San FRANCISCO to Port
land, in ocean steamers, costing from
$500, 5000 to $500, 700, at the rates Of fifty
cents per top for every one hundred miles.
Freight from Portland to Albany costs
s12 per ton, or twenty times as much
lin proportion to the distance. Will the