Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1883-07-19


ourse it is assessed higher than when
ying 10 an isolated part of the county
MIR. Hunter, the county assessor, informs
us that the highest priced farm land was
not assessed above Sl2 per acre. Some
of the same farms having beeA recently
sold for $50 per acre. II man has I'M
pro7cnents worth $4,000 on his farm,
it is expected that the place will be as
sessed for more than that Of the man who
has none at all. The tax levy of Colum-
bia sousty for 1882 was l4A mills o. the
dollar; lower than any other county in the
Territory. This year it will not exceed
l2s mills. The small pox scourge dur
ing the winter Of 1881 and 1882 is what
made the levy reach l4a mills that year
He says "a poor man can never pay his
taxes and support his family" Does the
idiot think that if the "poor man" is rich
en- ugh to own some Of this $50 land and
u few Of the $50 COWS that the property
will not produce enough to pay the taxes?
If he don't own them he will not be
taxed. II you can raise $50 COWS on
Government bunch grass, winter and sum-
mer alike, that is pretty good business
in itself. Horses vary in price from $3.50
to $500 per span owing to quality. OF
course this does not include fancy trotting
stock. Ponies that will do very good
farm work can be procured for about $50
per head. Work cattle are selling for
from $50 TO 5000 per yoke. One mill
man Of our acquaintance bought SO yoke
and they did not cost him on an average
over 500 per yoke A common l2-inch
walking plow is worth SIC; two-horse
wagon tli0 The o. r. & N. Co. do not
control Oregon, Washington and Idaho
to the detriment of the settler. The N.
p. R. r. is nearly completed, the o. S.
l.. and several other roads are being built
and Washington Territory has reached
an era Of prosperity second to no other
Territory in the United States. The
rate on FIRST class freight from Portland,
Oregon, to Dayton, W. T., distance
Of 325 miles or thercabouts, is 81 80 per
100 pounds; on fourth class freight, $l.l5
per 100 pounds. The fare for the same
distance is SIG. The freight on grain
shipped from here to Portland is 80 per
ton, and on -four SO per ton. Does this
look like grinding monopoly? He says
that cone emigrant was out $3.50, aAd
had not reached his destination yet, but
he does not say whether he was alone or
had dozen in the family; whether he
fought the festive tiger or wooed the San
Francisco syren. Is it anything uncom-
mon for families to land in any new
country in a destitute condition, when
they leave home with barely sufficient
meaus to take them to their journey $
end? 1t was sad indeed for the mother
whose child died on the way and was
buried on the banks Of the Columbia;
but if our loys-sick exaggerator had
crossed the p 4ins in early days with the
old pioneers who knew not what fail
meant, he ", ud have seen the dismal and
lonesome trail through the wild and un-
settled country lined with the graves of
those who had attempted the trip and
perished by the hand Of the remorseless
Indian. Is there any country where
immigrants have not died en- route? The
Columbia valley, denominated by him q
"grainless, fruitless desert" is the best
grain and fruit country in the United
States. Apples, pears, plums, apricots,
! grapes and small fruits of all kinds grow
in profusion Peaches grow to perfection
on the river bars, but not SO well on the
| highlands. Last winter killed consider
able fruit, but it was caused by warm
spell, which started the sap and buds
/ being followed by cold snap that was
never equalled but twice be ore in thS
history of the country. During an av
erage wiuter in this country, the ther
mometer does not 90 more than loo be
low zero, and we have known winters
where the lowest point reached was 10
above. The thermometer never reached
l14o above. Yesterday was an extreme
| ly hot day and it stood at 98o. A coo
breeze is generally blowing, and sun -strok
is unknown. Such letters as tn one re
ierred to do our country great dca
of harm, therefore We have devoted NOR
space to it than it deserves, as any MAJ
who has ever lived in this country know
it to be not only absurd, but tissue O
falschoods from beginning to end, whicl
emanated from the brain Of poor home
q sick, love-sick, mothers boy, who ha