Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1870-02-26
OLYMPIA. SATURDAY MORNING. FEB. &c. 1870
Oregon Exulting.

The following extract from letter pub
lished in the Oregon Herald Of the 10th
inst, written by Hon. S. Smith, Repre-
sentative from Oregon, under date of Jan.
22d, throws some additional light upon
railroad matters, aud corroberates the po-
sition assumed by US last week:
/ have just had an interview with Jay
Cooke, who is engineering the Northern Pacific
Railroad enterprise. lie informs inc that the
money is already raised to complete the first
section Of GAO miles from the west end Of Lake
Superior to Red River, and that The work will
be commenced next month. There have been
rumors to that effect for some days but l had
not been able to satisfy myself beyond qucs-
ton that it was SO unit! to-day. The sum
raised is SIS, 900, 900, and more was offered than
was required. Cooke Is very enthusiastic
about the matter, and says he is going to make
it the business of his life to build that road.
There is no doubt about the favor with which
the enterprise is engarded in financial circles,
and the road will be built. The company now
ask Congress to allow them to build the main
road dorm The Columbia and tie branch to
Puget Sound. Leave will no doubt be given,
land mostly likely the brunch wiH neper be built.
Jremain very truly, your friend,
j. s. SAITH.
The last two sentences Of the letter are
peculiarly significant, even without the
italics which the honorable gentleman has
employed, the more fully to impress bis
constituents with the magnitude of the
boon he and his colleagues have obtained
for them. Oregon could have received no
assurance more gratifying to her feelings
than this. We know that it is distasteful
for our people to believe that their rights
have been SO completely ignored, and their
interests betrayed by their Delegate, but
facts are stubborn things, and the ghost
will not down at the bidding.
1t is not, nor can it be, denied that Pu.
get Sound should be the direct terminus
Of the great Northern route. Nature ha.
decreed that it shall be so, ana the attcmp,
to permanently divert it to any other point
IS as impractical as would be the attempt
to change the fixed laws which govern the
Universe. While this is true, however
it does not follow that these laws may no,
be temporarily suspended by a counter
force, operating in an opposite direction
A prcjectile, thrown into the air, over.
comes for time the attraction Of gravita.
ton, but it is the no less sure of obeyine
the general law, when the force applied is
expanded. So may Oregon, with her Sen.
'ascrs aud Representative, and the CO.
operation! of the delegations from Califor.
MIA and Nevada, whose continued prosper.
ity depends upon monopoly by the Cen.
trai Pacific Railroad, be enabled by Con.
gressional Intervention, to divert for a
time. trade from channel which nature
has marked out for it. The Northern
road would have been built years ago, had
itnst been for the hostility of this rival
corporation, operating through this same
influence. To longer delay the i'm portaut
work s found to be impossible, 50 they
gAdy accept the alternative of fixing
~ course 70 it will do the least possible
hasn to their cherished project.
The Vancouver Reg;ster, in comment
ies upon the new movement, attempts to
ndien's the idea conveyed in Mr.. Smiths
'esssr, that Hthe branch to Puget Sound
rh NOT be built" and goes into ertasies
over the change Of the route to the Co.
aaubia river. It says:
- seassrv in the radius VI hanarsa4 Of
--