Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1873-06-07
NAVIGATION OF TIE COLUMBIA.


In response to an invitation Of the
citizens Of DAYTON. addressed to Judge
McFElden, to visit that place while in
Walla Walla county, he indited the fol-
lowing letter, which is Of sufficient pub
lie interest to warrant its publication:
WALL. WAIL., May 10th, 1873.
To l.. c. Wait, Elisha Ping, D. b. Kim
baH, and others, citizens IF Dayton,
". r.:
GENrLEMEN,-Yours of the 18th inst.
was duly received, inviting me to, and
rendering to me the inequalities of your
beautiful and promising city. regret
that circumstances prevent me from
acccding to your request. My engage
ments ore such that am under the ne
cessity of returning to the western part
of the Territory the latter part of this
week, not leaving me time to close my en-
gagernents here, and crafty myself by
visit to the good people of your town.
I expect to start East about the first of
September, for the purpose of discharg-
ing as best can, the duties which the
people have devolved on me as their del
egate in the AID Congress.
have only to say, my best energies
shall be devolved to the development
of the interests of our Territory. I
have no interests except such as are in
common with the whole people. The
future prosperity and advancement of
the whole Territory, in all of her male
rial interests -her agricultural, manu-
featuring, commercial and mineral;
these are the cherished objects of my
ambition. You have here, east of the
mountains, country of wonderful CO.
pacity for production, with climate
making it most desirable place to live,
and the only drawback to your steady
and vigorous growth is the embargo
nature has laid upon your means of
transportation. The Columbia river,
SO rich in magnificent scenery, with a
volume of water sufficient, on the re-
moval of her distractions, to float the
commerce of the Pacific, and which
might truly be regarded as the pathway
of empire, should be placedin condition
by the Federal CONVENIENTLY the
removal of the distractions at the Cas-
cades and the Dalles-to make the same
free and open to the sea. Should this
he done you have an outlet to the
markets of the world. Congress should
at an early day provide for practical
and scientific survey of this river under
the direction Of the Secretary of Wor;
an estimate should be made by the
Government of the cost, and a report
upon the character of the improvements
best calculated to remove the obstruc-
tons, and for this purpose Congress
should at once make an appropriation.
Should the report of the survey indicate
the practicability of this improvement,
as we believe it will, there should then
be no hesitation in making the necessary
arrangements for the contamination of
this great enterprise. When this is
done, and the connecting links of the
North Pacific Railroad are completed,
a new era of prosperity will have
dawned upon our people, and in few
years our Territory, now comparatively
feeble, will he developed into great,
prosperous and free commonwealth,
rejecting lustre rs member of the
great galaxy of States, worthy of the
hOnored name she bears. It shall be
an earnest effort on my part, in the ap-
preaching Congress to labor for the
passage of joint resolution providing
for this survey and estimates. With
the aid which I hope to receive from
the public-spirited men of the country
I hope to be successful.
I will be pleased at all times to hear
from you, and receive suggestions from
our people on this or other subjects of
interest. With regrets that I am un-
able to see you in person, I have the
honor to be
Your humble servant,
o. b. McFADDEN.