Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1871-07-15
OLYMPIA, SATURDAY MORNING, July Is, 1871
Journalistic Overland Tour.

The Seattle Inteligenccr has been ia
vored with the perusal of letter received
from the East by gentleman in that city,
from which the following is an extract !:
There is in contemplation by Jay Cooke e.
Co., of the n. P. r. r., the sending overland,
by the proposed route of their line, a party of
editors Of the large and influential daily pa
pers. correspondents, artists, mineralogists,
botanists, ETC., with q view, of course, of get
ting the thing we'll written up, illustrated and
advertised. Such papers as the Chicago and
New York Tribunes, the World and the Boston
Journal, will be represented, and - Carleton"
Gov. Bross. Colfax, Gf he IS we'll enough,
Sam Bowles, of the Springfield Republican,
and few others. of like notoriety, will accom-
pany the expedition. The party, however,
am informed by Gov. Bross, will not be large.
1t will start about the first of July from Chica-
go, and 60 by way Of St. Paul. The entire
the N. P. r. R. Company.
This is all very nice for the journalists,
who get pleasant summer excursion free
Of expense to themselves; but we denizcns
Of Puget Sound, who feel that we have
reversionary interest in the railroad subsi.
dy, fail to see the benefits to accrue from
this expenditure of the Company's money.
We cannot help but think that the elbow
ing" has already been greatly dispropor-
toned to the Striking" that while ex-
tensive advertising and newspaper puffery
has materially promoted the circulation of
Bonncr's Ledger and the sale of Hembold's
Buchu," and even greatly aided in the
exchange of Government gold interest
bearing bonds at par for currency worth
thirty. five cents on the dollar, it does not
as favorably affect the hard-headed money
changers Of Europe towards the securities
of this Company; poetic reproductions of
oft-repeatcd descriptions of the most mag
ni6cent sheet of water in the world, the
gigantic forests, the unrivalled climate, the
mineral and agricultural resources of the
country proposed to be traversed by this
railroad, are not called for; that branch of
the subject has been exhausted; what the
interested public now want to know is the
practical facts as to what the managers of
the road propose to do. 1t seems to us
that these facts might be given to the
public without detriment to the interests of
the Company in any laudable purpose, or
in any degree impair its pecuniary credit /;
while the mystery in which its transac-
tons and intentions are shrouded, not only
engender suspicion of Interior private de.
signs, but operates to the very serious dis
advantage of all interests, public and pri-
vate, at this end of the route, nearly to the
suspension of all business and improve.
ments which may be ultimately effected by
the location of the road. No business man
will now invest in real estate or engage in
business while the possibility exists that
the Railroad Company may depreciate the
value Of his real estate or destroy his trade
by an adverse railroad route or the estab-
lishment of rival commercial centre
This uncertainty and suspense hangs like
a pail over all the business interests of this
section, discouraging immigration, repress-
ing enterprise and paralyziug the industrial
energies of the country, and what is worse
than all, planting in the breasts of the peo-
pie the suspicion that this great public
enterprise is under the control of selfish
schemers intent only on their own asgrand.
izement. This suspicion may all be wrong,
and undoubtedly is, but it nevertheless
exists and will find expression to the seri-
GUS injury Of the credit of the Company if
not removed by prompt determination of
this question.
Another fact in this connection is patent
to all observers; in consequence of the
uncertainty attending investments in this
Territory, all the advantages heretofore
gained BY the publications of the COMPANY
have accrued to the benefit of other sec.
lions where Investments could be made
with less risk. Capital and immigration
directed to Puget Sound has found invest.
mens and settlement chiefly iu Oregon.