Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-09-02
OLYMPIA. W1SHiNGTHy rEH.
FRIDAY ENEG, SEPT. :. 1881.

OLYMPIA. W1SHlNt.TIN rEH.
FRIDAY ENEG. SEPT. =. 1881.
The Handwriting on the Wall.
Slowly iut sulciy our Ti,!i4l ri
:he Portland press are Icing h9o1-ht
to the unpleasant necessity Of H.
krowlel;iug the absolute failure ii
tic Columbia and Nilla.4otto rivers
to serve as an alequlte water con-
munication from! tie city 70 the
ocean. IL lis issue Of August - III
the Orryonie,~ makes a statement
not less remarkable for It's humility
than for the grave suggestions TO
which it gives rise. AS if to vent
It's pent up sorrow, upon taking a
retrospect Of the situation, il opens
half column lamentation by the
following significant statements:
During the shipping -ca-ol ju~: con4'nr!cii..
e daring The tail AID early winter of Last YEAR the
Columbia and WiAmet tie rivers viii hc impossible
FOR loaded vessels at two or I zee points between
Portland ard the sea.
The reader will observe that ther.
is no ambiguity in the above .ane-
uage. 1t is, from beginning to end,
an unconditional, faii ard square,
painful admission that, in their nor
NAL condition, the two rivers leading
from the open Pacific to the metrop-
pills Of Oregon, are not, in CONNER
cial point of view, navisable water
courses. This is, indeed, plain talk
for parties most interested in the
subject matter under consideration,
and yet, when Puget Sound paper
touches never SO lightly upon the
question at issue, every Portland
journalist is sure to right about face,
instanter and stOutly affirm that the
Columbia and Willamette arr navi-
gable the year round for the largest
sea-going craft. 1t would be passably
endurable did they stop here, but
the chapter is not ended until we are
roundly abused for barely rep" atinS,
with fear and trembling, what they
have no hesitation in publishing to
the world. The Oregonian est
mates, upon the authority of COM
petent engineer, that two efficient
dredges will cost $4,000; and that
an additional $4,000 will he re-
quired to operate them during the
year. With this princely outlay, it
concludes that loaded ship may at
low stage of the rivers, pass down
to the ocean.
"But instead" that paper con-
tinues, I" we have one dredger and a
limited appropriation, and the con-
sequences are that incoming vessels
must stop at the bars and lighter at
great expense and with much annoy
ance and delay, and that the process
of loading must be done on the in
stallment plan, to great extent
from barges-and worse than all and
in consideration of all these charges
and disadvantages we must pay
charter rates ten shillings per ton
higher than does San Francisco.
Again, "The final consequence is
that the Oregon farmer sells his
wheat from seven to fifteen cents less
per bushel than his California neigh
Dor, though our wheat is worth five
cents more than his"
After stating that wheat recently
sold in San Francisco for S1.67I per
GENITAL while on the same day, it sold
in Portland for only S1.55, the edi-
tor afErms that tbs ditferenc, is all
ckargeable to the bars in the Column
bin and Willamette rivers.
Now in all these statements we
entirely agree with the Oregonian;
indeed, We deeply sympathize with
it; but while we undertake to weep
with those who weep, it is sorry
reflection that we have been flood
ing our lachrymal ducts for naught.
In one of the closing cantoes of his
lamentation, the editor makes an
assertion which is none other than
barefaced falsehood, and he must
have known be was fibbing when be
wrote the sentence. He says:
"This matter is important to the
merchants of Portland, of course,
but it is none the less so to every
man in the State or in the Washing.
ton Territory who raises and sells
grain" Had he left Washington
Territory out, entirely, he would
have perpetrated a beautiful and
glowing aphorism. With the Straits
of Fuca for commercial outlet, the
farmers of our Territory stand in no
need of the Oregonian's sympathy.
Bottle it up for future use in the
family, brother; for the present, our
wheat growers and grain carrying
vessels can take care of themselves.
The extension of the Northern Pa
cifc Railroad from Kalama TO Port
land will probably be built on the