The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1881-04-29
HOW NOT TO DO IT.

was full OF farmers and grangers,
ready, nay eager, to do wha ever was
pointed out to them as likely to assist
in the great work of opening out for
the Valley its own independent route
to the great world beyond, certain
gentleman who professed to attend the
convention as a representative OF Ben
ton county rose to give advice to the
amlience so directly contrary to the
object for which the meeting was call
sd t,getier, that it seems to call for
exp anat;eD on one hand, and to de-
mand some comment on the other
What sort of a speech was it that he
M ,-le? The essence of it, stripped of
some interesting information as to his
own birth and parentage, was to say
t., the farmers of this valley: tillers of
tn" soil you are, tillers of the soil you
mist remain; and so keep your eyes
wei! down in the mud, and raise no
thoughts, no efforts to anything what
ever outside your own snake fences.
Take what providence sends you in
the way If improvement, but lift no
finger, set no signature, spend no mo-
ment of time or cent of money to aid
in any public work whatever. If we
are correctly informed, the speaker
was only justifying his own consistent
course of conduct. 1t would be inter.
esting to know by what influences
this farmer, pure and simple, had
been dragged from the retirement of
his own acres into the center of that
active, excited crowd.
Most men if they are unwilling Ell
thcr from principle or circumstances,
to join their neighbors for public
end, will at least stand by with friend
ly wishes for their friends success.
If they will not or can not put their
own shoulder 10 the wheel, they will
st; ;Ieast cheersthose on who are stri-
wing and pushing at the LOAD. But
some there are who find perverse
pleasure in putting stones in the way,
and if they can but succeed in stop
ping the cart in the mud: 81 told
you how it would be-" they cry:
"Why on earth can't You let things
alone, or it you must stir wait till l
give the word.
Fortunately such men are few, very
few. And when the cart does move,
as it always does sooner or later, if
they don't clear out of the way, they
get very quickly pushed aside and
forgotten
Naturally what the convention re
solved on was all to the good: the
friends of the enterprise See how res
olute the valley is in the support of
the work the Corvallis GAZETTE has
advocated SO long.
BY all means let us have the petit
tion to Congress and work heartily
to make it so strong, 80 numerously
signed, as to demand attention to it's
prayer. It will doubtless do good.
If the committee which has been
nominated see that farther effort is
necessary, in the direction that the
Linn County Grange were prepared
to work, they will tell us SO, and their
voice will command our efforts. We
hear from the Bay that the present
appropriation will last about four
months yet, possibly little longer.
Therefore there is time to act again
if action it necessary.
In another column we print an af.
tidavit as to the depth Of water and
the condition of the entrance to the
Bay, that we trust will help to con-
firm any who may yet be disposed to
doubt. But with what force does it |
prove the utter, We had we'll nigh
written the criminal folly of the acci-
dent that cost three men their lives.
Here we have harbor with twenty
i
feet of water on its entrance at high
water, and with twelve feet at one.
cast of the lead only at but two hours
food. The channel we know, and
here it is sworn that it is well defined,
and plain, easy to find and to keep.
The U. S. Eengineers are at work i
they know the; channel just as well as
one ofour readers know the main street
of this town; little patience in
waiting would have brought off a Ca
pable pilot. But as the unfortunate
captains mind had been stuffed with |
tales of the dangers OF the Yaqnine,
and as has been well said he neglee t ID |
ranges and channels in fa-
vor of q wretched line of amateur
h1oys. of lager beer kegs, and his own
life and the lives of two Of his men
pay the forfeit.
Il, other days and other seas hang |