, 1883-12-15
4 Stern Fight for . Free River.

The fight agains. monopolists has COM
menced in good earnest and is none the
less elective because il makes no noise.
Silent action is the best; let the people
once become interested in 8 measure and
sooner or later their voice must be felt
On the subject of opening the Columbia
River The Dalles Sun speaks the wish Of
every man east Of the Cascades when 1t
advocates that measure. The people
thank such editor, for they know that
their interests viii not be betrayed by
him - is too often the case by those who
control newspapers Col. Lang has the
right ring and his guns are Of heavy cali
bre, he says:
Our people are bound "hand and foot
by q gigantic fraud. Twenty square
miles of land has been grabbed on the
south side Of the Columbia River from
WalIula across the Stat% Of Oregon and
forty square miles on the north side OF
the Columbia across the Territory OF
Washington, making sixty square miles ol
land for every mile in length OF line
from Wallula to Portland held from the
people, and half of it given or granted
under provisions which the grantees have
never attempted to recognizs-haye new
er intended to fulfill, and in pursuance Of
that power which by fraud and paid trail
torism ali along its line has not only
qrasped dominion of lands never earn
ed, but seized the free right of the people
to q great river, grand commc rcial high
way, and the only channel of relief from
system of highway robbery the equal Of
which cannot be shown on the American
continent.
1t oppressed the people by rninous rates
and most offensive discipline, kept do
minion of lands from taxation and added
double to the peoples burthens. Instead
of being a great blessing as railroad
which recognizes reciprocal obligations
between the people and his capital should
be, it has prepared itself and has been
acting as a tyraunical oPPressor. And
the curses OF the people ought to iest up
on the men who have lent themselves to
help such a power 10 fix itself beyond the
limit of its just grant. The right to the
river the people will have, and the fight
if it must be made, will be stern Ielent-
lass and aggressive. That courtesy which
argument claims can no longer be accord
ed. Let things be called By their names,
and the acts of men shown up. Port
lands capital, made out Of the sweat OF
the people, has been joined with Wizards
to. help rob the state and Washington
Territory for its own selfish advantage by
making the people tributary to IT, Vii
lard. to carry out his plan OF fraud, need
cd their assistance IN the state. Port
land capital, situated twelve miles up the
Columbis River, on one of its tributaries,
needed Wizards power To centraiIzs
routes at that accidental and unfortunate
location, and through well paid tools
among its citizeus, 1t has succeeded. The
next move is to shut up the highway OF
the Columbia River by killing the locks,
and Willard and few men at Portland,
headed by Ssnat,r Dolph and the OIggo
nian, have been able to yir, ually control
and direct the work Of the government on
the river.
The work at the 10 cks, grea. national
work, has been played III the personal
control of self-worshipping young man,
whose prejudice and the peculiar inhu-
ences about him, led him TO follow such
q course as suited Mr. Willard and his
friends at Portland. The Oregonida even
went so far as 10 prematurely I'm the
opirion ef some of the Wizard pirty) ad-
vocate the abandonment of the whole
matter; and this journal, which asks the
northwest to recognize it as profound
Judge of its ecsnomy, also went SO far as
to set up its experience. which was rlpen-
ed in the woods, against that Of all por-
tions of the globe as TO the value Of water
transportation The great ability OF Mr..
Harvey Scott and Hon. j. n. Dolph, or
Of Mr. Willard, cannot teach any sane
man by any sophistry they are masters Of I,
that any man or combination Of men,
who have unlimited control OF the re-
sources and transportation Of communi-
ty, will not make its plans and decisions
in their own interests. We DO not blame
Mr.. Willard for fighting his own battle
and that of the capital which he repre-
sents, Ii he can gam new advantages,
he has right to do so; but he has no
right to break, in the least title, the OBJ
legations of the gran, of Congress, which
his power rests on. Any citizen of the
State of Oregon, who, for salary or per-
sonal advantages, will be found assisting
him and his company to dodge the spit
and letter of the obligations made by the
government gran, to that company and
wrong the State OF Oregon and Oppose its
Inhabitants, are guilty, and are unsafe cit
i1ens-not 20 be trusted.
A simple citizen, whose profession may
be the law, may claim the right to work
for his clients-who may be murderers or
svindlers-but when they become officers
to guard the state. they cannot be the
servants of private interests; If they do,
they sre traitors TO the trust vested in
them. Aud We 90 SO far as to say that
any man who will assist to fix wrong
upon the people OF as,ase because his pri-
ysts interests are stimulated to do it,
knowing it to be al unjust measure to
the people and to the future citizen, Is a
despicable traitor He may have titles,
and bs the recipients Of emoluments and