Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1883-08-16
WHY ARE THEY NO" I'M
PRESSED.

OF his company tIIat tHe 'tNc"'' ''''
Line will build down Snake river tap
WalIa Walla country, and thence run
across the Yakima to the Cascades ana
from thence to tide water. We are IN
formed by gentleman now in Coi.ax,
Who has good authority, that kilpatrick,
q grading contractor, is now on his way
70 commence work at or near Lewiston.
-Pdiouse Gazette.
We suppose that the O. r, K n Co.
official tells the truth, when he says that
it is the impression among the officials
IF his company that the Oregon Short
Line will build down Snake river and tap
Walla Walla county, and thence run
across To the Cascades, and from thence
70 tide water" How long has this i'm
preston prevailed? In February last it
was telegraphed from New York, and
published in all the o. Il. & \. Cos pa
pers that division Of territory had been
made gbetween the o. r. 4 n. Co aud
the Union Pacific, which forbade the o.
s. L. from building farther west than
Snake river near the mouth Of Burnt
river and that all freights between the
two companies were to be pooled at the
mouth of Burnt river. All the o. Il. 4
N. Co. officials then endorsed the truth
Of this telegram. BY some of the journ-
sls who claimed to know the facts, it was
claimed that this compromise for pooling
was to continue for ten years at least al
ter the junction at the mouth Of Burnt
river was formed The TELLER was the
only newspaper west of the Hockey noun
tains that boldly doubted the existance
Of any such compromise for division of
territory, or for pooling of freights and
passenger traffic, except so far as might
serve the interest of both companies, on
that portion that properly belongs on the
two lines when they were constructed,
without any bar to the further building
Of the q. s. i. towards the Pacific.
We then had no higher authority for
doubling this compromise than the good
common sense of the managers of the
Union Pacific and their business saeacity,
such us would prevent them from enter
ing into any such compromise We have
pcrsistantly maintained these doubts ever
since, till they have developed themselves
from subsequent movements of the Q. s.
l.. to almost certainty that there never
was such compromise as published,
Again Mr.. Willard himself in his speech
made at Walla Walla last April, the re-
porter of the Portland Ne,es, says ale
assured the people there would be no
competing line in their country for many
years and probably never We quoted
this in the TELLER of May Sd and ad-
ded as editorial. He probably intended
to add, "If he could prevent it" Now
these same o.. r. Il n. Co. officials be-
heved that statement of Willard then,
coming as it did from their head and
chief, else they must have been disloyal
employees Of the company, or else they
must have regarded him as chronic
falsifyer, and VIC don't charge them with
either one Of these. How then does it
come to pass that these officials now have
the impression that the o. s. l.. will build
down Snake river and thence to tide wa
ter over the Cascades? When the Feb
ruary dispatch was published, the O,S.L.
surveyors had been in the Snake river
canyon below Burnt river some weeks
and it was publicly known. They have
now done nothing more than to continue
their surveys till they reached Lewiston,
and they are now going over portion
Of them and revising SO as to report fully.
They have made no other demonstration
What then has SO changed the impress
sions Of the 0. II, Il N. Co. ofiicials2 Has
it been the arguments of the TELLER
from data that was taking place, which
was just as well known to them as to the
editor Of the TELLER? We can see no
reason for this sudden change, than sim
ply this, viz THAT they have learned
from competent authority that the tele-
gram alluded to was fabrication of a
compromise through the telegraph for
deceptive uses on this coast, and had no
such existance in fact, that they know as
all others know, that Wizards speech at
Wala WalL, while it expressed his de-
sire that there should never be compel
ing line in this section of country, yet it
had no significance Of any power he pos
scssed to prevent competing line, al
though he might desire so to do, with
much earnestness, that they know as well
as others, that if the Union Pacific desire
to push their Oregon Short Line to Puget