The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1874-10-23

OcHoco VALLEY, Oregon,
October 9th, 1874.
Editor Democrat:

Editor Democrat:
I see by the papers that the law.
making machine is grinding away
slowly, but "nary" paragraph chronl-
cling the whereabouts of Wascosthree
liberals, has ever gladdened our long
ing eyes. Havn't heard any thing of
them, or nothing, have you? They
are a straw colored trio that short
time since were affected with a mono
mania for Lock and Dam swindle on
the Columbia. The last we heard from
them they had wandered off towards
Salem, but since their arrival there
we have lost all trace of them. 1t
can't be that they have faded from our
sight forever. We, the ''poor victims
of soulless, grasping, sordid monop-
oly," are waiting with almost hopeless
expectancy for the breaking of the
shackles that have so long "galled and
fettered our free born limbs,n or words
to that effect, at any rate, that is the
way one of the lost Liberals had it,
and we have been waiting ever since
they strayed off to hear, with curiosity,
if not impatience. But still that noble
old Columbia staggers on its course
with its "free born limbs" so tospeak,
fettered by the same old rusty shackles
that have for so many years bound her
an. unwilling slave to the chariot
wheels of that old heartless monopoly,
and never blow been struck for her
freedom. Come, gentlemen; you talk
ed fiowery enough just before the elec-
tion-show your hands now. Colum"
bia must be free! Twas intimated be-
fore and after the election that the %.
S. N. Co.'s money elected one or
two Liberal Candidates. The o. S. N.
Co. wish to retain their hold on the
Columbia. The people of this county
want that hold broken. We have year
after year been taxed to enrich that
Company, and this taxation, in the
shape of freights has been so enormous
and outrageous that it has entered into
our political campaigns as sectional
issue. Our candidates had to pledge
themselves that they aDouLd str5Ve 6y
every means in their poa0er to put dow@
this offensive tariff, or they aVoutd not
hare received one hundred Uotes IN the
county. Since we of Eastern Oregon
have seen the relief resulting to the
citizens of the Willamette Valley, by
the opening of the Willamette river
by means of Canals and Locks, so that
compel ition was rendered possible, we
have been agitating the subject of a
similar work at the Cascades. We see
that as things are now situated, the
o. S. N. Co., owning the only portage
ut the Cascades, competing line can
and will be run of, and the people left
at the mercy of one company, and
though they may charge no more than
any other company that had absolute
power their charges for freight is eX-
tortionate. The Cascades is the key
to the Columbia river, and who ever
has possession Of that key has possess
ion, to all intents and purposes, of the
freighting franchise of the river. II
in the hands of private corporation
as it is now, this possession will be
used to enrich themselves at the eX'
pense of all who are necessarily com
PEELED to use the river as a means O.
transportation. If this key is placed
in the hands of the "dear people' by
opening the river to free navigation
making it a public highway in fact
by means of Canal and Locks at this
point, the producers and consumers o
this section of country need never bt
at the mercy of any one company
Wasco's Representatives, in the pres
ent Legislature stood pledged in thu
canvass, previous to their election, t.
do all in their power to obtain aid from
: the State to help build this work, ant
now we ask them to redeem thes'
pledges. We want them to speal
right out in meeting. They can speal
their old pieces about how they low
the "dear. down-trodden producer"
they want to, buJ we want them t.
roll up their sleeves and go right afte
that Dam question with the same vim
they went after that chap called" "Orf1s,
and we, the dear, down-trodden afore
saids, won't believe that copperliea
lie, that it was the o. S. N. Co.'s gol
I that elected them.
FURRY TEETERS.