The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1881-04-15
AREyIEw AND cRl1IeuE.

OregOaSG1a tor many months mas at
tracted halt the attention given TO the
"Telegram from Mr., Willard and
the suggestions regarding the
relations of the Northern Pacific and
Oregon Railway and Navigation
Companies" which were published in
the Oregonias of April I'd, and Mr..
Billings letter to Mr.. Willard pub
lished in the sane paper on April
9th.
Why il. this? Because the people
know that in Or. Wizards document
they have another of these extraor-
binary and audacious disclosures of
"policy" to which he is accnstoming
the public, and because in Mr.. Bill
ings' letter pure light is thrown oil
the matter. Whatever the senti-
ment may be in Eastern Oregon, of
which we do not claim to judge, we
do know that in this valley, this re-
Gently arrived President of the Ore
gon Railway g. Navigation Com
pany is regarded like the general of
an invading army, who issues gener-
al orders and bulletins to his forces,
from which the terror-stricken inhabi-
tants of the suffering country seek
to gather what fate is reserved. for
them.
Let us mark one or two points
brought cut in strong relief, and
which If Mr.. Willard were TO be
trusted las the Oregonins trusts and
quotes him), as an inspired oracle,
this valley would have to reckon
with. First: he alleges that the
O. Il. & N. Company has practical
control of all the transportation
business of Western Oregon. Sec
ond, that it has completed or will
complete between $50 and 800 miles
Of railroad of its own. Third, that
it will Acontrol', the 3l2 miles of
standard gague road of the two Val
ley railroads, the East and West side.
Fourth, that It will "control" $50
miles additional in extensions and
feeders of the two Valley roads, on
which IS, 900 will be expended.
Fifth, that thus over HOO miles of
standard guage railroad will be "con-
trolled" by the o. r. & N. all to be
complete and in running order at
least one year before the Northern
Pacific is completed through to
Wallula. Sixth, that the Northern
Pacific will, it it is good boy and
does what it is told, receive it's plum
pie in the shape of gross traffic of
81, ,000, 900, or net traffic of So, 1000,
600 to be presented to it the very
moment of its completion to Wallnla
from the East. Now notice that
these considerations are presented by
the organizer and s'controll,r" Of the
blind pool, who boasted that he and
his friends were thus in position to
control" the Northern Pacific also
Add also from Mr.. Billings letter
that not even content with all this
/" control" " it was in contemplation to
:" control the Union Pacific also.
And in order to compass the end
of all this web-spinning, we learn from
Mr.. Billings letter too, that offers at a
"high enough" price for his stock.
land we know this is at least $6,O0O.-
0OO) were made as blibe'to get him
ont OF the way. A great poet has de-
scribed similar temptation:
Him there they found,
Squat like toad, close at the ear of Eve =
Assaying by his devlish art to reach
The organs of her fancy, and with them forge
Illusions as he list, phantasms and dreams
thence raise
At least distempered, discontented thoughts,
Vain hopes, vain aims, inordinate desires
Blown up with high conceits engendering
pride.
Now. when 80 very experienced an
angler bangles SO large and heavily
gilded bait before the eyes of the
ish he desires to allure, it is but reas-
enable to ask, why this eagerness
Let US see if the letters tell us what
is the. prize. DIR. Wizard himself
does not propose to hinder the North
ern Pacific from building "short
extension from Ainsworth into the
Yakima country. Mr.. Billings gives
the length of this liae. 75,to LOO miles.
The same letter gives the Northern
Pacific credit for 81 miles from. Ia
coma to Che coal fields at Wilkeson
and farther extenslon from Wilkeson
in the line CT the Cascades. Mr.. Will
ard says his interest as q shareholder
in the Northern Pacific causes an in
tense interest in its success: we may,l
therefore that the YaEima rs
or 100 miles would be profitable in
itself, as local line. We know the
same argument applies to the Taco
ma and Wilkeson. line, for Mr.. Will