The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1880-12-17
"Blses,eEed AZ last.

Il
thisk IL is the duty Of some one TO an.
awor the editorial Of the 0regona an Of Dec.
9th, 1885, entitled discovered at Last. !"
have NO personal interest Ia the matter or
eept that which all oitizena should have in
defending the welfare of The state. / never
swAed share in any Of the companies whose
interests arc involved in this question. How
ever desire to see justice done those men
who commenced aud carried to successful
completion the Willamette Valley and Cas-
cade Mountain Wagon Road. The Oregon
zen says that the lands granted the company
were given away 'ostensiSly to build wag.
on road and yet no road worth The nams
has been constructed, and no equivalent has
beea rendered for this vast tract Of land. I"
This is giving the lie to the gentlemen who
received the road for the state, one Of whom
WAS the gentleman elected by tho people Of
Linn county at the last state election to the
State Senate. Does tho OregeKieR assert
that be was party to the alleged ffaudi
What does the editor Of the orIgoHiaa
know about the condition Of the road He
makes unqualified charges Of fraud against
the oricinsl Wagon Road Company and bases
his authority for his statement upon . dis
patch contrasting references to report Of one
VIM. 4. PiOsser. a special agent Of the gen.
eral land Office at Washington. Shortly after
the return Of the Prosser party from their
trip across the mountains asked Mr.. Jason
Wheeler, tho gentleman who acted as Mr..
P!Osssrs guide what tho laLtOr gsntlsnsa
tboughs Of the road aud Mr.. Wheeler teld
me that Mr.. PrOsser bad expressed himself
as well satisfied with the road, aad had not
expected TO find il in such . good condition.
New, why should this gentleman make
these assertions hero and then 60 to Wash.
ington aud change thsmg
Uplesa hO can explain bis wonderful change
ia his OF, Mons l think his report should be
looked upon with congiderabls suspicion, 70
say the least
have travelled ever tina road from Albany
eastward for about two hundred miles. /
bavo Il HvSled over the greater portion Of this
distance soTs ten o. twelve times-beinE the
most mountainous part. In my opinion it is
good wagon mountain road.
Has this road ever benefited The people Of
tbs state! Has tho state ever received any
equivalent for the lands gre ltsd to the COM
pany that built the road The Oregoa.aa
deLiss that any equivalent has ever been
rendered
The company was not rssp0nSiblo for the
'open character" Of the country cast Of the
mountains. Neither were they responsible
for the absence OF Tive-s on the route needing
b. 'dgea The Desehutss river Is fo.dAbls
where the road crosses il at any season OF
the year 1t neither rises nor falls mere
than from eighteen or twenty inches, 80
am reliably informed. The other streams on
the rod arc only a few inches deep except
whea swollen by melting snow.
What has the read dc le to benefit the
state! answer Jst. 1t has opened vast
region o. country for settlement in the south.
era pal of Eastern orsgon, which would now
probably be the v1ss wilderness il vas before
tue completion Of the road. Thousands Of
cattle and sheep have been drivea over this
road sines its completion, some of which
have even been sold in the markets Of Chi
eago ard Sc louis Thousands more arc Ia
that count. > now. and every year are being
driven to those markets.
End Il he's been tho means by which
hundreds of families have found comfortable
homes of their OH3, which they probably
would not have had
3. il has Furnished easy and cheap meaas
Of crossing from one aide Of the state to the
othe- thus avoiding the great monopoly Of
the Columbia river.
4. Without the road frsights would ks
even higher than they now arc on .ho Co
,crnbia
5. It shOr.eas the distance from Linn,
Esnton, Marion. Polk and YAmhill counties
to tho southern part of Eastern Oregon is0m
eco 10 80 miIeA
G. ls makes the cost Of travel to and rom
he same less than one half
:. 1t saves Thousands OF dollars to the
peop's OF the state every year.
It Is quite evident that the real object Of
tae cIeJOHiaH is TO defeat the proposed rail.
road from Yaquins BAy eastward over this
quite. / repel the assertion Of the Oregon
icn tbas the original Wagon Road Company
committed a fraud 10 securing those lands. hs
a eonte Dptible falshood. No amount of VI.
topeIat;on from the O5egoHfon can defeat the
great desire OF the people Of Linn, Lane,
Esatou, Folk, Marion and YamhilI serntiss
to make harbOr st the Yaquina Bay, which
will enable them to ship their grain to 5o-.
eign markets without seAiiDz it via Pert
land ahd tho Colombia river five or hix hum
dred miles out Ct the direct way, merely TO
please the mea for whom The editor Of the
o. egoH on Wf.tes. CITIZEN.