The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1873-03-14


be out of place in this movement
which was important alike to men of
all political predictions. lie could
not torbear, however. to mention the
great wrong which Congress had per-
petratcd upon the country in general
and we of the Pacific coast in partic-
ular, in Incorporating provision in
to the charter of the North Pacific T..
Il. Go. which requires them TO use
only American iron in the construc-
ton of that road. This was not only
protection but prescription. Had
they permitted the use offoreign iron in
building this road we would last year
have had Mirty.fce vessels hero In
stead of one-fourth of that number -
BY his,proscription of the use OF for
eign iron, the construction of that i'm.
portant railroad was not only retard.
cd, but the farmers were robbed OF
this other means of getting their
wheat to the great markets of the
world. He advised the farmers 10 be
careful and temperate in their organ
lied capacity, but to cling to their
rights and guard them with q
jealous eye. He gave many good hits
at middle-men and spectators, which
were received with rounds of applause
from the appreciative auditors. His
speech was plain, otf-hand recital oi
the farmers wrongs as we'll az
abounding with sensible suggestions
for remedying the evils complained OF.
AN OPEN LETTER.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Smiths
speech an open letter was read by the
President from Il. Goldsmith, Presi
dent of the Willamette River Trars s.
portation Company, stating that he
had hoped to have been at Albany
with the Annie Stewart" on the day
OF ihcir Convention, but untoward
circumstances had prevented him
from doing so. She would, however
be mp the river in few days as far as
the stage of water would permit
The steamer "Gov. Grover" would
also be ready for service by the Ist
inst. Tie Company had still another
vessel on the ways which would be
launched in due time; and with full
line OF steamers they expected to be
able to make daily trips from Portland
10 the head OF navigation. Mr.. Gold.
smith also stated that he was q, pres
ent in correspondence with a large
shipping firm in England with whom
he expected to effect arrangements to
have at least twenty ships come from
Liverpool TO Oregon during the pres
ent year. This would secGre tonnage
for orr wheat OF the current year 10
foreign ports. lie had also secured a
weekly line Of sailing vessels between
San Francisco and Portland, and Col.
Teal had gone East TO make arrange
ments tor a line OF steamers between
those two ports also. His Company
had the honor TO represent means suf-
ficient for the establishment of a per-
manent line of steamers on the VIII
Iamette river, and his line would al
ways strive to carry freights. at the
lowest living rates. He promised at
least a considerable and permanent
reduction of the rates heretofore
charged.
CAPT. J. II. d. GRAY,
of Astoria, next addressed the Con-
vention. He thought that the surest
way to secure foreign tonnage was to
disabuse foreign ship owners of the
prejudice which they had imbibed, by
false representations, against the Col,
umbia River Bar. Statistics show
that there are fewer wrecks at the en-
trance of the Columbia River that at
the San Francisco or Puget Sound
ports, and if the facts were placed in
possession of ship masters and owners
we would have much less trouble in
securing tonnage. The farmers would
benefit themselves and their cause
by gathering proper information in
regard to the Columbia River Bar,
securing charts of the channel, etc,
and send such matter to New York,
Liverpool, Valparaiso, China and
other foreign ports, SO as to efface
this prejudice against our inlet from
the sea. He said that English vessels
take wheat from San Francisco to
Liverpool for e3 los, while from
Portland We pay e5. This would
npt be if proper information in regard
t6our port were sent abroad. Ere.
qnertly vessels come over the Bar
without any pilot-something that is
not done anywhere else on the coast.
AS an argument in favor of vessels
loading at Astoria instead of Portland
he said it cost the ship Roswell
Sprague," $1,791 to transport $50 tons
of wheat from Portland to Astoria,
and hers was only an average experi-