The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1872-05-31
from the willamette Farmcr.l
Ben Holladay in Five Chapters.
pr,n. ANp HAND TO YOUR NEIeHBoE.


sober facts and calm reason. Readers of
the Farmer, Citizens Of Oregon, these
THINGS are published for your good; as
friend foreyarns friend, so we forewarn
Won If YOU profit not thereby, ii shall
not he our fault. Although Holladay,
with his wealth of millions, has seen tit
10 make war upon US, struggling by
davis work for daily bread, and with
base libels attempted to ruin our busi-
ness. vet we shall tell you sober truth
without any admiXture of malice. And
this brings US to consider
HoLLADAY AS A LAw-MARER.
IT has not been forgotten by the people
of Oreoon. and especially not by the
neopIe of this city, how Holiday went
INTO the Legislature of 1868 and secured
from that Assembly the land grant
franchise on which the Oregon and Cal
ifornia Railroad has been constructed.
IL was the shame of this city, and the
disgrace of majority of that Legisla-
ture, that Holiday and his satellites
held high carnival in Starkey's Block,
with wine, whisky, women, and feasts,
to which were added, not infrequently,
midnight revelings and drunkenness.
Fasy-going members of that Legislature
were wined, dined, made drunk, and put
to bed, to wake up supple tools of the
great Holiday. Those of n financial
turn of mind were enabled to start
stock ranches, and saloons, buy elegant
hOmesteads, pay off old debts, and even
have 1000 checks 10 bet on "pOker"
albeit they came up to this city as poor
as church mice, TO serve the people
at three dollars a day. We have heard
it said that the little resolution passed
for him cost him fifty thousand dollars
IA gold coin. The corruption and lul-
IdCfd means then made use of by him
are notorious and undeniable.
But here bear it in mind that we have
never denied, and do not now deny, the
right of Mr.. Holiday to seek by honor
able and Jdir means the legislation he
/ desired. But, mark you again, il is to
the tulid,gful, criminal, and tcicked
manner of his proceeding, and to the
dangerous cOrruptions he made, and
makes use of, that we do object and pro-
test. Then, for the first time in the
history of our fair young State, was the
vile leaven of corruption introduced into
our halls of legislation. Then, Citizens
of Oregon, did the poison asp of money
Influence insert his fangs into the heart
of Oregon politics, to eat and destroy
with its lOathsOme virus the purity Of
our laws and elections and the honor Of
OuI iUDllE llEll. Eoutll WAS Allt lllOAhA
code used by Ben HOlladay in his efforts
as a law-maker i'm Oregon; and such will
ever be his evil influence until rotod
down by the voice of the people.
But, looking further, we see that the
resolution of the Legislature of 1865 was
of no use to Holiday without a con-
/ firmatiOn by Congress; and to secure
such ratifying act of Congress, TO give
/ him the lands patented to his railroad,
/ Mr.. Holiday agreed toand accepted the
/ following prOvisO:
"And provided further, That the lands
granted by the Act aforesaid shall be
sold to actual settlers only in quantities
not greater than one quarter section to
one purchaser, and for price not cr-
ceediag ttCO dollars and .ffty cents per
acre.n
This is another illustration of law
making, and which brings US to consider
HOLLADAY AS \ LAw-BREAKER.
Why did Congress put on these rail-
road lands the above restrictions as to
price and settlement? We answer that
it was done for the express purpose Of
preventing Ben Holladay from speculat-
ing with these lands and extorting high
prices from the poor settlers. And how
has Ben Holiday respected that law of
Congress? We answer, again, that he
has deliberately violated every provision
of il, and basely perverted a law, de-
signed by Congress to aid, protect, and
benefit poor settlers, as well as secure a
railroad, TO his own selfish purposes, and
to add millions of dollars to his already
colossal fortune. According to his own
oath in the Elliott case, Ben Holiday
: has deserted the poor, landless, homeless
. men of Oregon, and sold this great land
Ts1. ~
; which he is chief, called the "OregOn
: and European Land Company" who are
( now demanding from four to twenty
r dollars per acre for these lands, which
were intended TO be sold only TO our set
tiers for two dollars and "A half. At thu
maximum price placed on these lands 10y
I Congress, the grant was probably wortl
\ ten million dollars, but at the rates il j
now being sold by these spectators, i
will put in their pockets, as a free gift
. thirty or forty millions.
: If the proceeds of these lands were ap
lplied to the extension of Oregon rail
: roads, there might be some show of eX
cuse for this violation OF the law. Blu
the price of the lands is not so expended
y The railroad is being built with the pro
q ceeds of the sales of the bonds, accOrdin
TO Holladay's own testimony. Til
lands are not mortgaged to secure tn
: bonds-nOthing but the railroad. BE
: Holladay has got all the money used /
building this road according TO his ow
= OATH from sales of bonds. He Ia
= therefore not invested one dollar of hi
own money i'm this railroad. Wherefore
e then, is the reason for allowing Be
% Holladay, in addition to the railroa
n purchased with the bonds, millions upo
. millions of dollars, the proceeds of thi
&c great land grant, and for all of which h
Is has never paid one dollar or one homes
70 days work? This brings us to cOnside
l. HoLLADAY THE SAINT AND BENEFAC
: TOR.
1t is the pleasure of some men, espec
ally those
OF ..Who bend the supple hinges OF the knee.
O. That thrift may follow fawning,"
C- to point to Holiday as a great benefau
tor of the State. We do not grant thi
IL He has done nothing more than thol
at he found here We're engaged in doin
nd except TO kick out all the pioneers in ii
work. The only difference is that Ellio
7 /! and others did not pretend to have Al
Id money to build roads, while Hollads
cd has boasted loudly of what he had, h
spent not a dollar of his own, but sea
- tered that of his German bOnd-purcha
III ers. The construction of our railroa
bv honorable and reasonable men won
certainly have been a great benefacti
le, TO the State; but Ben Holiday n
No proven TO be a curse. We charge tn;
bv his intrigues and shameless interft
Ier ences in elections and legislation, he h
in demoralized public sentiment and CT
ne rupted public honor; and that the wro