The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1872-03-15
LETTER FROM A PORTLAND SUB
SCRIBER.

PORTLAND, March II, loI2-
EDITOR NEW NORTHWEST:
Your long absence from this city has
tempted me TO write you about matters
and things in general. Now, / don't
Know whether shall conclude to write
you at all, but if / do / shall be pretty
certain to follow your example, that is,
not to use much soft solder. Pm almost
afraid If should write to you it would
make some Of our Temperance men
mad. Indeed, am almost afraid some
times they are mad now. will tell
you the reason for my fears. Soon after
they returned from the Alliance held at
Salem, they were heard to make such
remarks as the following: "Airs. Duni-
way acted very injudiciously; she is en-
tirely too spiteful, too hasty," ETC., etc,
concluding by saying they were her
best friends and had intended to bring
her out in flying colors if she had not
pitched into the Alliance in such an un-
lady-like manner. Now, if every lady
had good hard sense, I'd feel no delicacy
in writing, but the more L think of
writing the more / hesitate, seeing
that you, who have much more expert
ence in writing and speaking than l
have, came so near insulting some fool
ish people by simply giving them the
plain, unvarnished side of the question
during the late session of the Temper
ance Alliance. Now, such and kindred
expressions as these have led me, as 1
before said, to fear to write you such
things as would like to for fear some
body would get mad.
And now, dear editor, if / were to
write you at all, I'd be sure to thank
you for the noble and dignified part you
took in the Temperance Alliance, for
hurting back the wholesale ISLANDERS
uttered against woman. To tell the
truth, the day read the proceedings of
that Alliance was one of the proudest
of my life, especially your reply to Rev.
Driver. / must confess was real mad
before had read half his slanderous re-
marks, but l was scarcely prepared to
see you knock all the pegs from under
the Rev. gentleman at once. However,
he picked himself up gracefully, fell
into our ranks, evidently feeling that he
that would be great among us must first
humble himself Now, if l were going
to write you, would tell you that some
of your friends, who We're vociferating so
loudly for Temperance and Woman
when you left here, have come to the
conclusion that the coming election
can't be carried without the whisky
vote. | arrived at this conclusion from
the fact that on the day of the Republi-
can primaries some of these gentlemen
occupied prominent positions, enrolling
as many as could be induced to attend
said primaries. / am informed that it
took much whisky for a few votes, for
the primaries were poorly attended, the
larger and better portion preferring to
stay away that they might be free to
vote for good and honest men at the
coming election. In fact, the taxpayers
are every day becoming more and more
convinced that if they follow these ignes
JdtUi, such as the Oregonidn, Herald
and Bulletin, they will soon be so thor
oughly swamped in the political mire
that they will never be able to extricate
themselves. The New NORTHWEST is
gaining favor every day; it is generally
conceded to be the only journal in Port
land that will expose fraud and tell the
truth. Now, these other journals spend
their whole time of late in fighting
sham battles, thinking by this means to
direct the attention Of the people from
their derelictions. The enormously in
ereasing expenditures of this county and
city are matters of but little interest to
them; they care but little how much
the people smart under heavy taxes.
But, if l mistake not the signs of the
times, their days are numbered. Now,
II were going to write you, Pd advise
you to continue to urge upon all well
meaning editors to step right upon our
platform, or they will soon go where
the "woOd-bine twineth." But then /
am surrounded by so many doubts and
fears and troubles about writing, that
maybe it would be better for me not to
write at all; besides, I'd hardly know
what to write about. Now, if you con-
elude to put this letter in the NEW
NORTHWEST, don't put it in the ones
you send to the twelve members of the
Alliance who wouldn't step on our plat
form, for fear it will make them mad,
and then Pm afraid I'd never get in the
notion to write to you.
p. ;. Now, when you return, I'll
come and have a long talk with you,
and maybe I'll conclude to write to you
some time. PATsEY.