The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1881-05-17
PiIotage and TOwage.

AhC'N NNAi JOAiiAe''. " -
merely for the purpose Of showing
the inconsistencies of the interior
press. 1t is a fair sample of the
arguments advanced by the IN
terror press generally on this topic,
though some are worse exagger-
ated. Not one Of those editors
write of these things from person
al knowledge Of the facts they
seem to treat the subject from
hearsay, or the report Of designing
persons, who have a chronic am
bition to scandalize, lie and black
mail. We assert this with a full
understanding of what we are say
ing.
In the first place, there is not
now, nor has there for a year been
a depth of water on the Columbia
river bar to entitle it to conf
dence. Neither is it equal now in
any respect to New York harbor.
Ignorance or stupidity causes the
Reporter to confound the terms,
possibly; but if he intended to say
that this entrance is now superior
to the New York entrance, he
falsifies.
We agree that the best interests
of Portland and Astoria require
needed improvements, etc, but it
is absurd to assume that what ship
masters denounce and expose TO
be "inenicient facilities" etc, are
such. In case that the pilot
bill so carefully framed had be-
come a law, il would have proven
a curse TO the commerce of Ore
gon and Washington. All this
has been time and again sho wn up
through THE AsToRIAN; but there
is not one single Journal in the in
terror that has yet commented
fairly upon the side Of truth with
respect to 1t.
We assert that it is Il SANDER in
round terms; to charge that any
member of the assembly from this
county, representative or senator;
ever sided with any "Astoria mo-
nopolist," intimated in the Report
er article. Bat they did act hon.
orable, and with fall understand
ing of the situation, and it must be
admitted, in ali fairness, that they
should at least be supposed to
know as much about the wants
and requirements OF shipping, liv-
ing right here where they can see
and understand its workings,-as
any fresh water sucker who never
drew breath Of salt air or ever saw
anything aAoat larger than a VIII
lamet stern wheel steamer. In
this matter Of the astoria monop-
o4ist," we do not comprehend the
term. 1t cannot he Capt. Flavel
If so, we fail to see where the
monopoly part comes in. The
present tug boat Mary Taylor
which all the interior press hailed
with apparent delight, has been
here long time; and for over two
years since the Rescue was put on
there has been more or less Oppo.
sition. The Taylor now has a
schooner tender, "the very idea
advocated by the cow counties
and this schooner, the Cousins, is
considered first class. Since this
is true, that these opposition crafts
puffed into notoriety notably BY
the press Of Portland, have been
here SO long, we fail to recognize
the force of any remark about
any supposed monopoly tyrant
The talk of trading, buying and
selling votes in the assembly, the
legislature as he calls it; is 5ecom.
ing monotonous, and the scam ps
who perpetually haunt the lie
should be given the benefit OF
civil process to back their charges
or be compelled to choke to death
in swallowing their base insinua.
tions. We know of no cd Irish.
man, Englishman or Dutchman, .
such as the reporter man refers to;
but we very distinctly recollect a
hoard of buzzards that hovered
around the capital in the effort tc
influence sensible members, who
opposed that bill, TO turn to its sup,
port. 1t was the third time the
vampires were incontinentalIy dis.
persed.
Now, once for all,-it is the
basest slander to charge that any
person whatever, Capt. Geo. FIavel
or anybody else at Astoria; has
ever, in one single instance, placed
an obstacle of any kind in the way
of the growth and development OF
Oregons commerce; and the SOON