The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1868-08-01

our last weeks article on the steamer Al.
bany. It says:
The P. 7. Company is = corporation. and there.
fore sOukiess. Its officers and stockholders want 70
make money-as We ali do-and therefore they
charge very good prices for their freight and pas
sengers. The boats arc their own, and 1t is their
privilege to exact whatever they please from their
customers, Anybody who don't want to patron
izs then is at perfect liberty to 60 by any other
line They always treat passengers in q gentle
manly manner, and they deliver freight carefully
and promptly. We have never heard the slightest
complaint Of them in this regard.
On the other hand, while the river is free TO all
boats, the portage at Oregon city is not. Wen.
whose fault is this? Is it not the fault Of de
State which, by its careless legislation has allow
cd an association Of moneyed individuals to COB
bic up = franchise so valuable ut that portage?-
The editor Of the Democrat, or any other editor,
il ne should get hold Of money enough, would
like no doubt, to invest it in just such a way
So would any other individual, or company.
But freights are too high ! We admit it. We
believe that they can be carried for one half the
present rates, and yield large profit
We "a il is TO be found in an honest, fair COM
petition, and We hope 10 see such inaugurated. We
doubt If any stakeholder in the p. I. Company
would complain If such = competition was estab-
lisheds and if they did complain, what would they
do about it,
TRANSPORTATION on the Willamette river, will be
forever governed, like all other transportation, by
the laws Of trade, and the excess Of supply and de
ma1d. If the P. I. boats don't carry rs cheap
IS they ought, put on boats that will carry cheap
CT. But Wholesale denuneiation Of the company
for taking fair advantage Of their business Eagaei-
u, money accommodations, aud the very loose legiS-
lAtion Of the State, will never take q single cent of
the burthen of the backs Of the shippers"
We don't blame the P. I. Co. for wanks
ing to snake money !" nor do we blame
them for charging very good prices for
their freight and passengers" As they are
mOnOpOly,-as they hare no competition,
lit is quite natural that they should take
advantage of that fact, AID skin our citizens
just as they do. We are we'll aware that
he who does not want to patronize them is
at perfect liberty % travel by any other line
and, in dry weather. many merchants, and
others in Lima and Polk COMMITTEES act on this
principle. Transfers will carry freight
from Portland up at lower figures, than are
charged by the P. I. Company and they
lose many a ton Of freight in this manner.
We have never intimated that the P. I.
Company ever treated passengers otherwise
than in a ''gentlemanly manner" Our
chief objection TO them is that they are q mo-
nopoly, and take adyantage-O of this fact TO
enrich themselves by skinning the people.
We here bear testimony that they have al
ways treated US in a ''gentlemanly manner"
Indeed they have had no just cause to act
otherwise. We have never attacked them
personally. We fight them only as monop-
olists.
Bat the UHionist says that though the
Willamette river is free to all the boats,
''the portage at Oregon City is not" All!
indeed. We have heard such talk before;
but we do not believe a word of it. We
hare heard also that the P. T. Company
claim the exclusive right to the Falls, and
the entire basin and river at Oregon City,
The point in issue will be tested before the
proper tribunals. 1t is not to be supposed,
for a moment, that the Willamette river, or
any portion of it, from the mouth to its
source, is to be controlled by a few individu-
ais. All nayigable rivers are great high
ways, free to. all whochoose to navigate them,
and if the Legislature of Oregon has granted
to the P. I. Company the right to use the
Willamette river at the Falls, and the por-
tage around them, to the utter exclusion of
all others, we have no hesitancy in saying
that it viii be pronounced illegal when prop
erly tested. No legislature has a right to
pass laws so totally and ~palpably adverse to
the public good and if our lawmakers
have done so foolish and unjust a thing, and
If no judicial tribunal will annul them,
the time viii come when the people of Ore
gon, impelled by the great law of self.pres-
eryatiOn, will find ways and means to annul
them themselves. 1t is not for a moment to
be supposed that the immense public inter.
ests involved in such an issue will be sacri-
feed IN a contest of this character. Let the
people of Oregon, irrespective of parties,
become thoroughly aroused to this subject,
as they yet will, and we would not give a
farthing for the valuable franchise" which
this association of s'moneyed individuals"
have gobbled up. Their supposed rights
will not weigh a feather against the immense
public interests involved.
We are glad to see one journal in Oregon,
besides the Democrat, contend that "freights
are too high" The Uaionist says THAT
they can be carried for one half their present
rates, and yield a large profit" This is an
honest and truthful admission, and we agree
the only way to remedy the evil is by a
competition. We have been aiming
q. this all along. The proposed railroad,
when built. land by the way we are begin
ming to think there is considerable humbug
about the raiIroad) will eompete with the
P. 7. Company. II will bring freights
down very materially without doubt; and
but some such movement ever will.
Most certainly " wholesale d%enunciation'
never will and we have never supposed it
would ever take a "single cent of the bur-
thens of the backs of the shipper" When
men can fleece a State without let or hind
rance, they usually snap their fingers at de-
of all kinds.
"A oHANGE.-Mr. Settlemier. LONG con.