The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1871-06-09

LETTER FEOM PORTLAND.


fNoTE.--The following letter was re-
ceiyed too late for insertion Inst week,
hence we give 1t tnow.-ED. DEM.
PORTLAND, June 1st, 1871.
Editor Democrat:
There Is nothing new here-that IL,
there is nothing of the terrible or SEN
sational. to be told--nothing that will
thrill your nerves or freeze your blood
positively not a first class murder nor n
ease of criut ron. True, we have Ster-
rott to relieve the R,onotony of the jog
ging days-and by the way the "con-
tortionisp' has arrived since you and
were last there--but then even Sterritts
Is liable to grow tiresome.
THE FLOOD.
The annual food has arrived. 1t has
submerged ali Of the 'business part' Of
East Portland and laid siege to the re-
mainder, and .sstili IL comes.o 1t
threatens the railroad at the upper end
of the city.
COMMERCE AND COMPETITION.
Only few days since there were five
ocean steamers at the Portland wharves,
but that was u good day for steamers.
The opposition steamer "constantinen
has made her second departure from
this port. She seems to be well patron
| izcd. She IL too small To make herself
very pcrccptiblc as an opposition boat.
| When loaded she could be slowed be-
tween the decks OF the Ajax without
much inconvenience or increase In
draught of that ship. The two last de-
parturcs of the john J.. Stephens were
made from East Portland, and the Era
Office illuminated with candles and beer
| in honor of the tremendous event. The
| lately imported elegant new steamer,
"Annie Stewart inaugurated her op-
position on the Astoria route to-day. 80
! you see travel can almost be had for
! the trouble down this way. And while
on the subject of travel | may as well
stop To congratulate the o. & e. Rail-
road on some features employed In the
management OF the road by the
THE WOMAN Is BgEEcHgs
who acts as Superintendent. a few
days since gentleman OF my acquaint-
ancc happening 10 be at Jervais, offered
grcenback at the ticket Office at that
| place In exchange for "A ticket to Port
land. The grceuback Was declined with
the explanation that 1--WE are ordered
not To receive that kind of money! The
gentleman having no other kind Of
money, insisted, but the agent was firm
and wouldn't take the bill at any dis
count. The Portland office issued the
order because IL icns so difficult and an
acyinJ 10 figure ~, discount on such
money and make change wifI.out max
ing mistakes. | don't know whether
the disinciination or inability of the
| Company To figure and it, fear of being
cheated In change would go so far as to
put u passenger Off OF the cars who has
only paper money or not. In this case
my friend succeeded In efIecting sale
OF a bill to an acquaintance, aud that
fortuitous circumstance enabled him To
get to Portland. According To early
settlers the Indians have a similar aver
sion to making change, carrying it,
however. a step farther, they insist on
silver half dollars.
THE ELILoT-HoLLApAYs SUIT
has got into the papers, and now we
shall never hear the end of it. The
| Herald leads off with an affidavit of FL
liot. Ofeourse it espouses Elliots cause
because that Is anti-HoiIaday, and the
Oregonioa and Bulletin Of course OPP
pose Elliot for the same reason. There
Is no Disgusting the fact that IL Mr.. FL
i llOt sbouil ABAtGNc u SutA-f-,sr
the two railroad enterprises in this
State would be under a very wet blank
ct, and would more than likely be in
definitely postponed. IL begins to look
very much as though this Plaintiff Is
not all Elliot, or more than very lit
tie of him, lI:lliof, but as though there
was avery heavy money interest some
where putting him forward for pur-
poses of its own. He Is impecunfous,
and swears it in his affidavit, and this
seems 10 be his normal condition. II
is In evidence that Holladay gave him
a salary to enable him TO defray the ex-
pcnses of his family, yet he Is now the
proprietor of three or four of the big
gest law suits extant, and Is waited
upon by divers lawyers whose sur
roundings put them above the suspic-
ion of contingent fee. Everything
indicates that this Is really a war be-
tween rival railroad interests. The
proceedings instituted by Mr.. Elliot are
aimed at the credit of the Oregon Road
II he succeeds, the sale of its bonds In
Europe will stop-no more land patents
will be issued from Washington, tho
construction of the road will be sus-
pended and the material interests o.
this State will be retarded. Consider
ing that Mr.. Elliot should get what il
in Justice his, let follow what will, yet
the public interests that seem to be in
volved will justify a close scrutiny int
the merits of his case and the honesty o
his motives, and will excuse us in JUS
asking, you know, how he who had tt
ask for monthly stipend to by his grul
with, when this road was begun, car
rightfully claim to own in it to the
amount of millions. The probabilities ar,
Al II ,eyts n
this legal onset have subsidized. the Ore
, gon Railroad will be building and run
ming pretty much as now, and tn,
/ financial world will move in its accus-
toned orbit. Since millions are no
amassed in few months without tn
assistance of either capital or credit, i
is not likely that the story of Alladil
and his wonderful lamp will be repeat
ed during the lifetime of Mr.. Elliot.
G.
Tyr Wrrr IF VIZ. wish IN ha ha r,