, 1873-09-18
A Back Fire.

of the project for railroad from Seattle
to Walla Walla, Judge Rice, Vice Press
ident of the n. p L. Il. Co. and Sim.
Reed, Vice President Of the o. S. Il.
Go. started post haste for Walla Walla
to kirdle a back fire against the project
at that end OF the route. These old
schemers in monopoly management
knew well what class of men to approach
and what means to use to further their
designs. On arriving at Walla Walla
they sought and found "the man for
their money" in ". Il. Newell, the edit
or of the Statesman, notorious for look.
ing out for the main chance III al
measures to which he gives his editorial
endorsement. This man they liquored
and feasted and feted in their trip thro'
the county, and left with the assurance
that they had represer tatlve IN the
press upon whose interest they could
rely to serve the purpose they had in
view. This did not Immediately appear
to the public, for that would have in a
measure defeated the object by exposing
the motive. To make Lis betrayal of
tho interests of the people more etfectu-
al in the interest of the mon who pur-
chased. his services, he pretended for
time to favor the project of the Seattle
and Walla Walla Railroad, and then, as
if suddenly impressed with a new idea,
divergod to the advocacy of another
measure as much in the interest of mo-
nopoly as if 1t had been distinctly so
stated.
He speaks of the Seattle railroad as
ga project hat will require all the way
from five to ten years for its compile
ton" And then after a Tpeclous and
sophistical argument in favor of the
feasibility OF improving the Columbia
river and opening ii to free navigation,
he concludes: THE true solution of
our difficulties is to open the rivsr. and
that accomplished barges can load grain
from the cars at Wallula, and passing
down to the Lower Columbia, discharge
into sea going ships. Transportation OF
this character can DEFY the competition
Of railroads, and will leave the country
nothing more to desire in the way of
cheap freights.'
In view of the facts, the insineerity of
these arguments are apparent: 1st, The
Seattle and Walla Walla railroad, 900
miles in length by surveyors lines,
could as well be built in two years as in
ten years; and of the ability of the peo-
pie to be benefited by it, if united and
determined, to command the necessary
capital to construct the road in the
shortest practicable time, there can be
no reasonable doubt. Improvements Of
much greater aggregate amounts have
been made in nearly all new countries
on much smaller basis of actual capi
tai; and no railroad has yet been bull
in America by the money paid in by th'
stock holders; and certainly no frient
of an enterprise of this kind would seel
depreciate the credit of the undertake
ing where no suspicion of fraud or talst
pretences attached to the project.
I'd, How and by whom is the river tt
be opened to free navigation. The Gov
ernment never has engaged in works o
internal improvement of the characte
here required. A hundred miles abov'
tide water are two railroad portages, on
Is and the other miles in length, thu
possession OF which gives the n. P. r
r. Co. monopoly Of transportation OF
the river. Free navigation can only bt
secured by canals and locks. 1t would
present a most remarkable stretch O.
Federal authority for the Government
to engage in such work and appoin
Federal lock tenders to keep the same
in repair and collect the revenues there
from. There is only one other way tina,
he Government can aid in this work
and that is by subsidy to company
which would undertake to construct and
own it, thereby securing perpetual
monopoly as onerous to the people as
the present monopoly. The Govern
ment has removed distractions to navi
CATION in rivers otherwise navigable
but never did, and probably never will
undertake the construction of canals OF
locks in the interior of the country.
81, If this were proper object O.
Government aid, who believes that al
appropriation probably reaching into the
millions can ever be procured for that
purpose with all the power welded by
JAY Cooke and the n. P. Il. Co. against
it in Congrrss-a power which some ol
them boast is sufficient to carry or defeat
any measure. But suppose, against al
the probabilities of the case, Congress
should pass an extraordinary appropria-
ton of one hundred thousand dollars to
commence this work, and like appro-
priation every year for the next ten
years, it would then be no nearer COM
pietion than ether Government works
of much less magnitude which have
been in the course OF construction a
much longer time in proportion. Take
the custom houses at Portland and As
toria for example, saying nothing of the
mint at The Dalle5.
If the navigation of the Columbia riv-
er should ever be improved by canal
and locks overcoming the seven miles
portage at the Cascades ana fifteen
miles portage at The Dalles, at cost of
millions of dollars and perpetual tax
upon transportation for lockage equal
to the interest on the investment, it