Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-03-18

A PROSPEROUS SEASON Il NEAR.
These heavy SHOWS will be pro.
ductive of rich harvests, aud farmers
are looking forward for season. of
unusual abundance. Between the
logging camps and the gold mines,
farmers will find ready market for
thoir surplus produce. Logging is
being pushed ON vigorously by
Messrs. Smith and Bull, the con-
tractors for timber for the Northern
Pacific Railroad; they give 81 a
thousand for logs and 18 cents a
piece for ties hewed and delivered
on the river banks, which is consid-
cred fair price. An active man
might make good wages. All the
men and the teams that can be got
hold of, are employed, and there is
large force al work in spite of the
six or seven feet of snow which lies
on the ground. The richness of
our soil and our proximity to the
Sound will make farming always re-.
munerative here. Even now, farm
ers realize good prices for their pro-
duce. Butter sells at 40 cents a
pound, pork at 18 cents a pound,
potatoes at rs cents a bushel, and a
gentleman who raised a large crop
of onions last year found ready sale
for them at 81 per bushel.
WHAT WE NEED.
Now that Spring is near, and the
Surveyors about returning to COM
plete their work in the mountains
west of us, people are beginning to
talk railroad matters again, and to
surmise whether the road will be
built on the west or the east side Of
the Yakima river. Everyone expects
it will pass his own door and that a
depot will be built on his own land ,
and that big town will spring up
within a few rods of his own house.
But it will make no difference on
which side of the river it will run, il
will be easily accessible to all, and a
great boon to this valley. It will
afford a grand outlet for our pro-
duce, and bring in, we hope, q
lswarm of merchants who will sell q
Deffnr quality Of goods and at lowe,
prices than we have to pay at pres
ent. There are 1,50O people in
the valley with only two stores to
accommodate their needs; and it is
shameful to think of the exorbitant
prices one has to pay for the trash
which they sell. Considering the
energy and keen lookout there is
among business msn for favorable
localities to open establishments, it
is strange that more merchants do
not come in; they might do we'll
here; but we do not want ertor-
TONERS, we have enough of them
already, and they are thoroughly de-
tested, but nevertheless their stores
are thronged with customers every
day, including Sunday, for they are
destitute of all Christian principle
and have not sufficient regard for
morality even, to close their estab-
lishments on the Lords day. In
deed, the Sabbath is a gala day at
Ellepsburg, all the stores are crowd
ed with customers, and the saloons
are thronged by men who barter
and trade, and drink and gamble,
and get intoxicated and fight, and
whoop and scream like demoniacs
about the streets. There is more
immortality and dissipation in the
village on Sunday than on all the
other days of the week combined.
Amidst all the bitter complaints of
poverty and a scarcity of money,
men find plenty of money to spend
for. intoxicating drinks. All the SO :
looms are in full operation day and
night, dealing out poison, degrade
tion and death. The night is made
hideous with the sounds of revslry
and obscene songs. These "hot
drinks" are not gotten on trust, for
the saloon keeper knows the char
acter of his customers too well to
give credit to their word or their
honesty. 1t is "pay to-day and
trust tomorrow" with him.
AS SOME AMELIORATION,
We have debating societies, Sab
bath schools and churches organized
in our valley, which are doing somo
good. A mere handful of Christian
people and temperance men are en-
deavoring to purify the moral atmo.
sphere. What we need is q greater
influx of people favoring morality
and religion, then, these birds Of
darkness" who disgrace our valley
and corrupt society, would fly away
before the light of civilization to
more congenial climes.
SATANIC AGENCY TO PERpETUATE MIsRULE
The infidels of our valley, becom-
ing alarmed lest the people should
lapse into darkness and immortality,
held a meeting recently to "dis-
prove the existence of God and to
condemn the Bible" Their elo-