The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-11-30
Railroads..

prevailed upon to submit 10 your read
ers few thoughts upon this. to Wash
'ngton, all important subject Of rail
roads. at the earnest request of new
corners. who have but recently come
here to make Seattle their hO.Aes ill.,
vested their means and encouraged
their freinis in the East to 90 the
same. These men are practical in their
views. and having seen Mr. Sterling
.atte: in the INrELLIGENcER believe
that noo is the time for the people al
along the line of the Seattle aud Walia
Walla Railroad to put their means to-
gether and build the road. The object
Of this article is not SO much to show
this m, be done rs t. call the att-n
ton of thos- interested to what is being
done In other quarters to prevent the
consultation of this enterprise.
Have the pubic given any thought
to the rapid strides which our Oregon,
neighbors ar making to conc, lrate
the vast wealth OF Eastern Or gon ana
Washington into the Golfers of Portland.
10 compel that Country to ply tribute
to Po.tls"d by linking the chains If
their various enterprises SO completely
that they can gobble US up when we
least expect 1t. See how quickly they
captured the thirty miles of ad from
Walla Walla to the Columbia when
there was danger of its becoming a
part Of the s. & w. w. Il r. Now
they are projecting an ex;ention t.
Dayton ard the Palouse country, aud
another to Grand Round, aud another
from Snake River to Lake Pondoray :;
then the N. p. II. II. down the south
side Of the Columbia river. Wctch,
also. the increased steamer transporta.
ton Oh tue Columbi. aud the i'm prove.
ments of their rivers. and tell me if the
Oregon people are not hedging theuI>
selves in so that after the adoption OF
our State Constitution, and when we
knock ut the doors Of Congress for aid
III behalf Vt our road, as many of our
monied ,nea are holding tack tor now
they will send Huntington to Lobby
IN Congress. aud Off to build our road
for nothing. as California did when
Tom. Scott WAS asking for money and n
large subsidy for the Southern Pacific.
ana thereby defea'ed the scheme IT.
Tom. S.ott's WAS def. ated. Dill ever a
man go to Congress with better b OK
ing than Tom. Scott had +! Was it nut
the wealth Of San Francisco th,t d.
ftated him. and will it not be the
wealth Of Portl.nd that will defeat the
5 s. w. r R! Arc The men now at
the head o. the s. w. Il r. less sns.
ceptible Of purchase than was Mr.
Baker. If Walla Wallal must CON-
fess that it | was in either Of their
shoes, and the people of Portland were
to otter me Ona or two hundred thou
sand dollars. and l could not see fifty
thousand in it as coal road. that |
should take it. believing that it would
b. purely busiue-s transaction Port
land is saiH to be the wealihiest city
in the Union of its population. and to
lay it could we'll afford to pay two
hundred thousand dollars to stay the
building Of the ). & w. r. r for five
years. and by that time five hundred
thousand or more for tue next tel.
years. | may be ba ~ mistaken;
but 1t does appear to Me that now is
the time for those interested IN the
completion Of the Seattle s. Walla
WAllA Railroad t, push forward aud
get 1t into the hands If the people
along the line. Sd that it will be impos
s'ble tn b"ttl. it. Ole or two years
hence. and the task will be quite rs
difficult. ThOs. who are waiting with
the vain hrli~f that after We b come q
State. II will be an .asy matter 10 get
apr pria'i0s FROM Congress for thu
rnad will find themselves rs badly sold
AZ ever msn were 1t is fact i'm his
tory, that wherever large accumula-
tions of W, alth and capital are couc-,,-
trafed ut amy one point in State. i,
draws (comptl.| to its support all
great enterprs that come or are d..
seloped within its DO ders. even
against the great. St If odds Ms to- nat.
ural advantages. Ihst. nce. San Di. g,.
IL California, said to be- the hu->t har-
bor on the shore liue al thu State. aud
the natural outlet 1T = vast G .u.try oi
wealth AMI natural r-s urces Zee
how th. wealth If San Frsnc,scn thro,.
ties that 6ne barber. aud STAYS the
prosl ects OF the Southern Pacific for
y-ass and years. Portland. in Oregon,
Is aiming the same Ll.ws ut Puget
Sonnd and its na'urnl .utlet t. the
ocean. The Por, landers ~. our advan
tsxrs in the highway Of the fspnms,.
ciat world. and thy are aiming to
rhwart them for an ind. finite period Of
ys-rs. In my Judgment, now is the
time tn look this danger squ~r-lv 10 the
face and ward it off by immedis,e &C.
tion. The leople OF Pierce and Thurs
t"n havs LONE rested their hopes in the
n. p. Il. r., aud given US = wet
blanket. That rod, 30 far as the
Sound G unssy is concerned, will never
l'- Any more than ut present. a. long "a
the .. s. N. Co. and Portland hold
SWay III N Ssrr1rp