, 1879-11-08
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The New York Sun opposes the appropria-
tion of twenty millions of dollars. which, it
ALLEGES will be surely demanded Of; the next
congress for the improvement of Columbia
River Bar. 1t admits the dangerous charac-
ter of the bar but contends that if the national
treasury could be emptied into the mouth of
the Columbia, the only engineering result
would be the useless removal OF the bar little
further seaward. The financial result of sue
cessive appropriations, practically. without
limit, would be total waste of money and the
enrichment of a ring of sheivad and bankrupt
Oregon politicians. who mean to repair their
fortunes through this job
We like Journal Of positive and pro-
nounced opinions when those opinions are
based upon sound common sense, but in the
case under consideration, the Sun is alto
gether at sea; Its propositions are nnsound,
and its deductions are not onl y incorrect, but
absolutely unjust. In the first place, its es-
timate largely exceeds the amount which the
incsming congress will be asked to appropri-
ate The assertion that the bar would be
removed farther; seaward if the national
treasury were emptied into the mouth of the
Columbia river is too devoid of logic or
grammar to entitle it to serious consideraE
ton. 1t is especially surprising that New
York paper should doubt the ability of sci
ence to overcome minor obstacle in the
| Columbia river, when it has recently wit
messed such splendid triumph of engineer
ing as that involved in the destruction of the
obstacles in He'll Gate at the entrance to its
own harbor. Nature has placed a barrier in
our main artery of commerce for science to
overcome, and when eastern papers say that
successive appropriations for its removal IS a
total waste of money, it looks like piece of
contemplate sectional jealousy toward this
great Western Empire, whose rapid develop
ment they ue ;mpsten. to hinder. We
leave the Oregon press to deal with the tissue
of Misrepresentation about its "sheked and
bankrupt ring Of politicians who mean to re-
pair their broken fortunes through this job. u
If the people of the Eastern States were less
selfish in their endeavors to secure approprl-
ations for improving little inland creeks in
their own section, which run nowhere, and
! are an outlet for nothing in particular, there
would be sorae consistency in opposing a
scheme of this m ignitude. which proposes to
make navigable for vessels of deep draughr,
one of the might;est rivers on the continent.
! The commerce of the Columbia at an early
| date, will rival that Of the Mississippi, on
which millions of dollars are expended annU-
| ally: We seek accommodation in advance for
the incoming tidal wave OF commerce, our
opponents wishlto retard it on its arrival The
real motive for opposition is perceived when
We reflect that the entrances to New York
harbor are rapidly filling with city garbage,
! herce it is not to be wondered at that the
combined egotism and selfshness of New
| Workers lead them to the opinion that Uncle
| Sam won't have any money to spare for
other enterprises if he intends to keep
| New York connected with high water. If
the Atlantic States desire to inaugura.e a
! secession movement on this coast, they have
only to adopt the Saa's policy Of belitting
everything and everybody connected with it.