, 1882-03-04
TINE OFFICIAL CITY PAPER
Current Topics.

most sAluDriOns Climate, Ahd aiN "
the center Of the best wheat and fruit
producing region on the Pacific Coast,
has relied heretofore upon these natural
advantages, and her present status Is due
IN them and 10 them alone In this era
of railroads. it takes no prophetic eye Ia
discern that if she is to maintain her posi-
ton as Queen City Of the mountains her
people must cease longer to rely solely
upon what nature has done for them, but
they must turn their attention from the
exclusive management Of their private
home affairs and call TO themselves by
their accumulated capital, some ot the
artificial advantages that make towns ana
c,t;s. great These thoughts src suggest
ed by transpiring events that can no
longer he ignored AS trivial looking
down the fifth OF a century that has
ELAPSED since the birth Of our el'y We
realize tina; we have, while bolsierln9 'ur
selves up in the security Of our natural
advantages, let golden opportunities sii'
which, seized al the opportune moment
would to-day have placed us so tar m the
vanguard that we could not Tor one mo
,os,, have entertained any other idea than
that We must forever remain the princi-
nd inter-mountain city of the northwest.
Blu. the day Of our destiny Is not over,
though the era has come when the star "i
on- fate must decline If We do not cease
to rely solely upon what nature has done
for us and 90 to work, and at once, upon
the principle that God helps those who
helm themselves. We have, for twenty
wears. been accustomed 10 go upon the
Micawber theory of waiting for something
to turn up to our advantage when adverse
circumstances have Tor time seemed to
encompass US, and our faith in this hope
has been continually strengthened IN the
fact that our desires have been IN almost
every instance gratifed. Bnt now We
must remember that We are surrounded 10y
half score Of towns whose people are rs
full of faith as ours and many Of them
exhibiting treble the energy that we are
in endeavoring to draw to themselves the
advantages which by properly directed
effort We might have long ago POSSESSED.
Sipus Of awakening and n little OF the
spirit to be on guard have of late been
manifest in our community, IN animated
discussions rira roce and through the press:
but it may be questioned rs II whether
these discussions are carried on IN the
reasonable and well-infcrmed manner III
which they should be. THIS much is as
sumed, on account Of TOO much of What
We deem uniformed assertion that freight
RATS to our city were increased when our
railroad company adopted the weight IN
stead of the measurement system. \
consultation of any merchants freight
books will show that he now ships his
sugar at e-half cent per pound cheaper
than under the measurement system.
Crockery and glassware that used I" cost
from 40 to 20 per cent. now come II lo
Der cent. Hats and ali light bulky goods
that used TO cost from - TO 20 FER cent
do not row exceed 2k 10 D Ia fact,
90 ont CT 100 articles in the genera! nlrr-
chandise line are shipped here at from
two to ten per cent. less thln under the
measurement system. Some articles IN
the hardware line and such things rs
glazed sash, insured, cost more but
these are by no means the bulk uf our
shipments. Estimating the sales If GER
eral merchandise in Walla Walll At ST.
OOO, 900 per annum on which there Is =
reduction Of per cent. on former freight
rates-and both Of these estimates are
too small-we have n saving ii SJO, ZOO
which, in itself, is quite handsome sum
to distribute among our population. Ger
tainly, then, We should be thankful for
small fayors, and when We consider the
much greater one OF the reductions made
upon the shipment of onr wheat from
that charged three years ago the mystery
is why there exists granger IN the land
who is not willing to sing peons OF praise
to the company who have done this IN
stead Of impeao hing their business com
nonsense by still harping upon imasi-
nary evils that may befall them on ac-
count of the repeal Of the so-cslle,l dis
elimination act" Three years ago they
paid within fraction Of SlS per ton to a
"home" company for transporting their
grain = Portland. Last year a foreign
monopoly charged, for the same service,
s., or reduction OF about l. cents per
bushel on every bushel shipped We
have not yet obtained the figures of the
total amount shipped, but say 1t was three
millions Of bushels, and We have dona-
ton of four hundred and fifty thousand
dollara- Add the Fifty thousand on Up
freight. and We have half million Of dal-
lars given Us, for which We believe she
mos. violent oppone of "mcnopolies
In our land would say, thank yor, sly,
when made TO understand the truth as II
is
These facts are not put before the peo-
pie with the view Of creating the imrres.
sion tha. We are in any manner the crea,
lures Of any Company OF corporation. But
such does not alter the case that We art
mutually dependent 1t is true that ",
have all the means within ourselves, 10y
which, if properly directed. We may ac
complish much but this fact does not
Justify the sowing OF spirit OF commp
nism which would fail 10 aid those ahC
in helping themselves are using all The
means within their power 10 help US also
When information is 50 cheap that il
can be obtained for the asking 1t would