, 1883-09-29
ONE Of those wandering newspaper

ONE of those wandering newspaper
correspondents, who deem them
selves competent to pass judgment
upon everything that comes within
range Of their pen, and from whose
decision there is no appeal, has been
able to make a run over the Northern
Pacific, and slings together commu-
nication for the Portland NeirS, in
which he has the effrontery to write
of Spokane Falls as follows:
"We look with an anxious eye for
Spokane Falls, as from far in the East
and through the middle States the
name is familiar to every person, and,
of course, we must stop and look at
the great water falls and country
around. So far as the water power
is concerned, it is all that can he
desired, and may in time be utilized,
but it will be many day before this
becomes a manufacturing city. To
make manufacturing city requires
q country to furnish the raw material,
and as the country closely around
this city is poor, it will afford but
little grain for the mills of Spokane,
and in case the company should con-
Ilude to place branch feeders into the
interior, of course, grain, when once
loaded, would be sent directly to the
East, and so on to European markets.
Yet many people who have made
money in Spokane, have confidence
in the place and are spending large
sums in improvements. 1t certainly
has every prospect to make quite Il
city. Property is high, and many
speculltOrs are wild over the future
prospects. The hotels are full to
overlooking with sight-seers and
prOspeCtOrs. Business is dull, and
many shOp-keepers and business men
now acknowledge they never saw
such dull times and money so scarce.
Aside from the men employed in the
erection of the numerous business
houses, it is quiet. Large bills for
lumber have been sent in to the mills,
and it seems as ii the building boom
would never cease"
The great observer signs himself
Buckeye" when it should have
been "Blind-eye." 1t is evident that
the extent of his observations,
anxious as he may have been, were
limited to a few minutes view Of the
city, or that some unaccountable pre-
judice has induced him to make state
ments that the facts will not support
him IN. When he says that the cOun-
try is poor, he gives himself away.
He did not go out and look at the
country tributary to the Falls, or take
notice of the large amount Of grain
coming into the city, even in this
unprOpitious season. The mill owners
here have no fears that the country
will not produce grain sufficient to
run the mills. If such was the case
two Of the oldest settlers in the county
would not have hazarded thousands
Of dollars in the largest Touring mill
in the Territory. His further state
ment that business is dull is one Of
most absurd absurdities in the letter.
1t does look that way when the city
is daily full Of vehicles, when every
merchant and labOrer has about all
that they can conveniently attend to;
when stocks Of goods are arriving
from the East and West larger than
ever before opened here, and new
firms are going into business almost
every week. If these are symptoms
Of dullncss then Spokane has it worse
than any city on the coast. A little
adhesion to facts by correspondents
would greatly improve their standing
for veracity, and would, at the same
time, make their productions just as
readable, if not more 50. We do not
object to just criticism, but mistakes
Of the calibre asquOted, are too heavy
to plss unnoticed.