, 1883-09-20
Weekly Argus.
THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 70, 1888
The Future of Walla Walla.

t44N N'lil l'l'Nltll tI Tall COlItGlloH
between Puget Sound. via the vallies
Of the Columbia, and the Yellow
stone, through Dakota and Minneso-
ia. with the great railways which ex
tend from St Paul 10 New York. and
the PRONUNCIATION of freight tariff
whicc places al rail points between
Seattle and Sand Point upon an
equality with San Francisco are the
beginnings Of new system of doing
business in the Pacific Northwest
Hitherto the works of nature sur
rounding the people resident in the
great region cncompassed by the
Cascade, Blue and Couer d Alene
mountains, appropriately called the
Columbia Basin. after the mighty
river which carries to the sea the
surplus waters of countless foun-
tains, have been compelled to pro-
cure such supplies as they did not
produce from the fresh water sea
port on the Willamette or the vast
warehouses that line the inner shores
of the Golden Gate. Man, inspired
by the love of gam and impelled by
the inherent desire to overcome the
obstacles placed in his path by Ma
ture has torn away the barriers and
made a smooth track for the passage
of commerce between the rising and
setting of the sun With the com
pletion of this track comes the an
nOuncement of its managers that it
IS ready for the use of all on equal
terms. San Francisco, Portland,
Walla Walla now have the same
freight tariff on goods purchased in
New York. 1t only remains for the
merchants of Walla Walla to take
advantage of their opportunities to
gather rich harvest. No longer
will they have to brave the pangs and
perils of an ocean trip to enter a
market where the competition be-
tween the few great wholesale mer-
chants, and the less number of man
ufaoturers, has never been great
enough to affect prices Henceforth,
by the consumption of OILY a little
more time passed amid the luxuries
of palace and dining cars, they can
enter the great marts of the world
where competition between merchant
princes and mammoth manufacturers
keeps the prices of goods down to
the lowest possible point. This they
can do with the assurance that their
purchases will be conveyed almost to
their doors, for the prices asked to
take the same goods to San Francis
co, thus granting the local dealer
and consumer all the freight money
heretofore exacted to bring the mer-
chandise through the Golden Gate
and Portland, concession equal to
about 33 per cent. of old prices.
Some time ago a retired merchant
asserted in our presence that mo one
ever started business in Walla Walla
and made the most of his purchases
in Portland who did not fail" Re-
Election and Investigation proved the
statement correct. The Oregonian
in the course of long editorial up
on ''Portland's Sure Future" unwit-
tingly stated the reason of these facts
when it said that "new and more ex-
act methods of business will appear
here. Instead of demanding gains
of from 20 to so per cent, and even
100,merchants will be content with s."
BeforeP Portland can hope to obtain the
trade of Walla Wall or any other
interior point its merchants will not
only have to be content with gains of
five per cent. but will have to be ia
vored by the railroad company by
special contract rates much lower
than the most enthusiastic one of
them has dared to say was possible.
We do not believe the Willard COM
bination will so favor the fresh water
sea port. It would be against the in
terest Of the eastern ends of his lines
as well as against those of the inte-
terror. He has ever shown the dis
position to populate and build up the
country through which his roads
pass.
The opening of this new highway
for travel and commere will be speed
lily followed by the influx of thous
ands of active, industrious and poor
young men, besides many capitalists,
all seeking in the virgin fields OF the
Pacific Northwest new opportunities
for labor and increased fortune.
Their wants must be largely supplied
by Walla Walla, the largest, wealth,
lest place in the Columbia Basin
Her manufacturing industries mus:
be increased and varied, her mercan.
tile interests enlarged, her wealth
augmented, her attractions enhanced
her facilities for doing business of all
kinds made greater. These must all
be done, primarily, by the energy,
enterprise, foresight and industry OF
those already here. The population
of Walla Walla should be doubled
during the next two years. We be.
ieye it Will be.
The railroad officers have secured
the right of way almost entirely over
the proposed line of the Olympia and
Gray's Harbor road, except proceed,
ings are necessary to condemn par.
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