Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-03-19
OREGON PROSPECTING.
THE OUTLOOK IN oREGoN-RALRoAD
BUILDING.
The Prospects of the season-A Fight and
a victory for Public Schools
The Wool Interest.
PORTLAND. March Is. 1850.


future, for see where the ground is being
cleared for new buildings, and the stir and
hustle of trade and transportation say that
the time is come when great enterprises
are to put forth giant efforts. That was
to be in the spring, and the dates of our
newspapers correspond with the promises
and indications; but for all that the
keen, biting wind of winter has for days
past made the weather-vanes point north
ward, and the frozen streets and frosted
pavements tally with the sensations OF the
pedestrian who faces the north wind at
sharp-set morning or glazing noon. The
winter has been uncomfortable, and the
spring has the chills of December freezing
its marrow. An orchardist | met to-day
YVES the most pleasant dispositioned man
I encountered. He thought the cold would
keep his fruit buds back and save them
from untmely frost by and by. So there
is compensation in mundane affairs, and
the worst weather suits somebody.
sHIPwRRcK.
The other day, with two steam tugs at
tempting to take her out to sea, the British
ship Dilharree went ashore at the mouth of
the Columbia river The wreck came just
in time to italicise petition being numer-
ously signed for presentation to Congress
for an appropriation to construct a break
water at the mouth OF the river. You
can't sail into this river as you can into
San Francisco Bay or the Straits of Fuca,
but for a river-and an immense river at
that-the Columbia does passably. 1t has
Guicksands, of course, and changes
its channel oftener than is convenient to
aavigators, but a judicious expenditure
of o million dollars or so, will remedy that
and make the entrance satisfactory. 1t
seems that there are some ships that do not
mind the helm well, and this was one of
them, and so it was shipwrecked like many
another that do not mind in this world.
The reputation of the river suffers as n
consequence, and some foolish people won't
want TO send their ships here any more.
But, seriously, the trade and commerce of
the Northwest need liberal and fostering
care from the general Government, and it
IS only reasonable that the second greatest
river IN America should receive all the ex-
penditure necessary to make it safe and
convenient entrance.
TIE SCHOOL CONTEST.
The school meetings were held last week,
and resulted in the total defeat of the
Oreqonian, which led the fight against the
high schools. The taxpayers voted a
school tax OF four and half mills, and the
attempt of the morning paper to be a
q Thunderer and control public opinion
has signally failed. 1t took the position
chat school should not keep over six
months in the year, and that the higher
branches and languages should be dropped.
10 doubt there is "fummery" taught in
the schools, or at least there are merely
ornamental branches taught in the high
school, but the people Of the United States
areas a rule deeply attached to their schools,
and any attack upon the right of the
smaller taxpayers to have their children
well educated at public expense is bitterly
resented. Most of them feel the need of
education, and without knowing exactly
how much education their children need
they are not afraid they will get too much,
while the truth isanuch time and teaching
is worse than wasted, because not calcu
lated to advance the pupil in the line of his
or her special proclivities. When we
can devise and execute system of educa-
ton, by which each child will be enabled
to become NEST useful in life, and best
fbted to make use of his natural abilities,
Nc shall have solved the whole problem,
and then, whenever child, in any walk Of
life, shows ability to rise to distinction in
any particular line of effort, the State can
well afford to educate Thisis what the high
school is intended to accomplish, we think,
up here, and if it succeeds there can be no
Just complaint against it. All through the
valley towns this contest over the schools
ragged last Monday, and everywhere; as far
as | can learn, there was a moderate sized
victory for the public schools, and a tax
was literally voted.
PUSHING THE WORK.
Already active work has begun on the
Columbia river railroad, above Cello, and
men and teams are rapidly putting the
grade in order for the ties. There ought
to be good times in the upper
country, with so much money expended
FOR labor. material and supplies
also in this valley the railroad movements
have taken US by surprise, for COM
pany has organized and claims to have
csuital to use, and will put into operation
a system of narrow-track roads here if the
people will help to the extent of 81, coo
per mile. This system contemplates a
stem road from Portland up to the west
side of the Willamette for over twenty
miles, until it gets outside of the hills and
timber region, then TO send branches
towards the foothills on each side and
push to the head of the valley This COM
pany has already purchased the thirty
miles of narrow-track road in operation on
the west side, from Dayton to Sheridan,
aud promise to construct the balance requi-
site to complete its comprehensive plan.
It's President lately showed me note re-
ceived from Mr.. Huntington, l think,
where he expressed the opinion that, by
the time this road could be finished to the
head of the Willamette valley, they would
be through the Southern Pacific and ready
to build road towards Oregon, or rather
into Oregon, to meet this. The favorite
scheme of some, for years back, has been
railroad connection from Portland toNevada.
It is asserted that such line will be more
direct between the East and Portland than
the line to connect the Columbia river
with Salt Lake via Snake river. These
new people claim to be in earnest, and if
they are we shall see lively times and
money more plenty in the Willamette val
ley, as the Oregon and California
company has determined to build two
or more branch roads to try to accommo-
date the region the new company seeks to
propitiate. There is sharp rivalry be-
tween the old and the new corporations,
and the present result will be better times
for people here, who will all get share in
the general prosperity to follow railroad
building. 1t remains for the future to de-
eide il valley forty miles wide can have a
navigable river in Its midst and support
two railroads on each side. That is, ap-
parently, the conundrum the future has to
solve
TO CONCLUDE,
believe YOU are not very much in favor
OF protection, but it strikes some of us
here that if there ever was any argument
for protective tariff it applies now in our
favor, as against the well-established manu-
facturers at the East, as much as it did In
la.-l A