, 1882-05-06
THE OFFICIAL CITY PAPER
Now ID the Time for Action.

NOW ~ the lime Tor aCtiOn.
Our citizens apparently have awakened
to the fact that if this city is to retain the
pre-eminence she has worked so hard to
gain We must keep up with the times and
assist those who are only too ready u
help us assure our future. For too long
period has this city slept. and many ad-
vantages she could easily have kept have
been allowed to glide away and the towns
adjacent have profted by our own remiss-
ness Time was when pack trains and
wagons were the only means Of transPor-
tation, that Walla Walla was a central
point and every town in the upper coun-
try paid tribute, more OF less, to 1t. As
time wore on and the vast capabilities Of
the country became known the cry went
up for railroads, nothing would do hat
railroads; people lived, slept and dreamed
for and of railroads, and 10 this day It
would have been dream Of the future.
but for Mr.. Willard, Who, with ms husI-
ness sagscity, commenced here NTH the
entering wedge Of capital, which is now
bringing this northwest country Of ours
into prominence - years sooner than 1t
would have been but for him. We think
that when he announced az his policy
,ha. he would accept no subsidies that he
made great mistake, for the reason that
TIE people generally, and in Walla Nalla
particularly, jumped at once to the con-
clusion that he would do everything
while they did nothing, and the result not
coming up to their boundless expeeta-
.ioas some little disappointment natural
ly ensued. The prosperity Of this c"un-
try in a great measure is oWIDg to the
great reduction Of freight on Onr produce
10 tide water Ii has made graIn-ra,sInI
a very profitable and sure business, and
the reduction Of freight from the old
prices to the present has resulted IN the
extra profits our producers NJ" receive t"
about $500. 900 annually, ahd all for
country within radius of - miles from
this one city, With these figures alone
to guide us can any one doubt that there
is steady prosperity IN store for us II We
only put our shoulders to the wheel and
accelerate the speed Of the car of progress
which is now traversing the land at such
a rapid rate.
Every man interested IN tins town must
in the future, from now ou, be wide
awake, ND and doing, and the few public
spirited citizens who have IN the past car
ried the burdens Of the whole community
in every enterprise, must have their bur
dens shared by those who have, until now,
stayed steadily in the background, con
tent to look on and profit by the spirit Of
others this must not be allowed any
longer, every one must assist, and If he
cannot see his duty in proper light 1t
must be pointed out to him. The meet
ing on "Wednesday night between a few Of
our citizens and some Of the officers OF
the company demonstrated that a really
good feeling exists between the people at
large and the company, 1t vac nubhcly
stated that the producers were satisfied,
and that complaints originated solely from
those who are never So happy as when
striving to create an III feeling.
At the meeting all the officers who
spoke, expressed for themselves and
the other prominents Of the company. the
best of good feelings for this city AMI The
surrounding country and said, what Is
fact. that the matter Of water or ground
for shops did not enter into their calca.a-
tions one iota when they placed their lit
tie shop at the new town of Prescott. Ii
was a mere question Of humanity, for
Mr.. Buckley said that men could not live
and work the long hours they were neces-
STATED to by the present arrangement, and
that the creation of division of the
through line, made Prescott the natural
end Of the division. The financial
strength and wealth in surroundings, that
have in the past made Waaa Walla what
the present finds her, cannot be injured
by the creation and growth OF smaller
towns, if our people are active and far
seeing We have only to keep pace with
the influx of people, money and internal
improvements that especially mark this
most fertile section of the Northwest.