The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-10-26
COUNTY AND CITY OFFICIAL PRESS
Saturday, October 20. 1878.
QUIZ BIG siSTE2.

The fairy tale of CINDERELLA has many
examples in real life OF the younger
and weaker sister being sacrificed 10
the greed and ambition ofthe older and
powerful. Take the following from
the Oregontan, as an illustration:
The La Grande Gazstte we'll says that
a system OF narrow gauge railroads
penetrating the agricultural districts I'D
Easter. Oregon and Washington Ter
ritory, connecting with the Columbia
river, will 90 further toward checkmat-
ing nny railroad scheme from Waiia
WaIla to the Sound iban any other or
all other things that could be done.
And the Gazette wonders II Portland
understands all this! Certainly Port
land ought to understand it.
Certainly Portland does understand
this and for years past has turned its
best efforts to the defeat of any project
for railroad connecting Eastern ard
Western Washington. But do the peo-
pie of Washington Territory under
stand iii That is matter OF much
more consequence to us. Portland has
an active, intelligent, and we'll organ
lied Board of Trade. exercising pow
er in directing commercial affairs, and
concentrating capital beyond that OF
the Legislature or any municipal body.
Portland is Oregon and has two Sena-
tors and one member Of Congress whose
influence is aimed aud directed exclu-
sively to maintaining the commercial
supremacy Of that town. Oregon has
bad no LEES than FIVE land grants for
purposes of internal improvement; to
gether with large appropriations tor
river improvement, while Washington
Territory has not had an acre OF land
or dollar in money from the General
Government for an improvement from
which Portland has not reaped all the
benefit. That system Of narrow gauge
railroads connecting with the Columbia
river, which promises great advantages
and prosperity to our big sister. we re-
joice in and would gladly promote; but
we of Puget Sound should be admon-
ished and warned TO look to our own
interests by the animus exhibited by
our neighbor in urging these projects
as II means Of checkm,ting any railroad
scheme from Walla Walla to the Sound
aud making them all tributary to Port
land Such designs are not only hos
tile to the Sound but against the
best interests of Eastern Washington
and Oregon. The distance from Walla
Wslla to Portland is as great as from
Wslla Walla to Puget Sound. The
cost of transportation from the former
place to Puget Sound. by narrow gauge
railroad, would not exceed one-half or
under. and on return freights. not one
fifth as much as by the river route to
Portland. and the advantage Of Seattle
over Portland as q shipping port to
San Francisco Is not less than third the
cost of freight. To be more explicit,
the transportation from San Francisco
to Walla Wslla now averages ga per
ten on up freights. With q narrow
guage railroad between Walls Walla
and Seattle. these freights could be
made at reasonable profit at the rate
Of 80 per ton. both ways. These great
advantages are lost to US and to the
people Of Eastern Washington and Ore
gon solely because We are powerless to
assert our rights against our powerful
sister, who nov assumes the right to
manage our Affairs for us. The only
escape from this bondage is in changing
our condition to that of statehood. and
this consideration alone ought to be
paramount to all others in passing up
on the Constitution submitted for on,
acceptance or rejection.