The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1883-11-28
HOW 1T LOOKS To A SETTLER.
What Il Columbia County Man Thinks Con.
cerning the Astoria Railroad.

GtEhiNE Nue AelUTln hIlarO3A.
The following, though not intended for
publication. illustrates the feeling in the
minds of many regarding the Astoria
railroad:
/ inclose a clip from the Oregoaiaa
stating. among other facts set forth. that
the O. d. c. Company proposes 10 com
plete its railroad from Forest Grove to
Astoria. ! ask when do they intend to
complete it: VIII ii be two or three
years, or is il TO be proposed from time
TO time till the people of Portland can
prevent Its being built for all time 20
come? The people of the Nehalem val
lev are very anxious tina; tins road should
he built. as they always expected that
Astoria would be their market place. and
they are willing that the Oregon Il Cali
fOrnia Railroad Company. or anV other
company should have the benefit of the
land grant; the rights of the settlers TO
be respected; providing they will build
from Astoria forty miles of the railroad
in 1884, and complete the remainder Of
the line TO Forest Grove before the first
day of January. 1886. Oh or near the line
surveyed by the Northern Pacific Cncin-
GERS in 1888.
The people who have settled on the odd
numbered sections of this much abused
land grant for seven years wish To know
how they are TO get title for their homes
before another seven years expires. or ill
the next generation claim Il. II would
be an act Of justice that all persons vino
settled on those odd sections before they
were sectionised should obtain their title
under the homestead laws. II has been
stated by some that the Northern Pacific
has already earned those lands by build
ing the road from Portland - kalama.
Should the Northern Pacific receive those
lands and then charge the settler for
making his own improvement II would be
worse than highway robbery.
If the Astoria and Forest Grove rail
road could be built as j have herein stat
ed, i think the producers Of Western
Oregon would be satisfied. bat If the road
must be DELAYED SIX or seven wears longer
and the people Of Astoria deem il wise 10
petition the next Congress 10 declare the
land forfeited. they could get the sigma
lures of everyone III the Nehalem valley,
and Il large portion ~ the Willamette
valley.
When this road Is built can il DE oper-
ated with profit! ] never saw the esti-
mates as reported 10y the experts. of the
timber in the Nehalem valley. but sup
pose IL 10 be about eighteen hundred mill
ion feet, at $1,000 feet per acre 10y sections.
seven miles from the railroad. This
wOuld be about One-eighth part of the
timber 'i'he timber trade would be very
large. as there Is a demand for il IN
nearly every part Of the globe. But If
the road is not bUil. We may rs well let
the forest fires rage and make room for
grass and stock ranges.
The trade from the large coal fields in
the Nehalem valley would be nearly as
great as the timber. The farm produce
would be very small at present. The
carving trade OF the Willamette valley
needs no comment. The people there
seem 10 he far more disappointed than
the people of Nehalem or Astoria. When
they saw the report made 10 YOU Sepsem-
ber 18th, by Mr.. Willard and his engin-
eers. estimating the cost of constructing
the road AT $4,000 per mile and term
inal facilities at Astoria S7J0.OOO. they
thought the line run through the Gales
creek canyons. to build bridges from 20
10 PIC feet high, and the high estimates
of building the road. were made III the
interest of Portland.
Men who have knowledge of the cOun-
try say there n several other places
where the railroad could be built for TAR
less expense than the Fish Hawk pass.
and the road would be some ten miles
shorter. saving One-half million of dol
lars and the expense OF repairing high
bridges and waShOuts I'm Gales creek bot
toms.
Why does Portland try 10 prevent this
railroad from being built: The farmers
of Oregon answer this question. All their
produce must pass through the toll gates
of Portland. There the bulk is broken
at the farmers expense. They tell me
that II costs twenty-five cents per bushel
to get their wheat To tide weter. and all
other produce IN proportions: and their
merchandise and farm implements must
pass through the same toll gates back TO
them with still higher percentage. This
is why the farmers of the Willamette val
lev are so poor and the business men Of
Portland so rich. The farmer receives no
profit from his farm or labor. and when
a partial failure of crops comes he has no
money for expenses, and he goes 10 Port
land and those Scotch loan companies
send a man To his county seat 10 see If
the title is good at the expense Of the
farmer, plant 4 mortgage on his farm
and loan him money at 10 per cent. an
nual interest. These are some of the
gon felt 50 aggrieyed and disappointed
when they saw the report of Mr.. Willard
of Sept. 18th. 1888.
If the Oregon and California Railroad
company would complete their lines as
they propose. il would throw open the
natural gateways of commerce and turn
the whole transporting trade to tide
water at Astoria.
If the Astoria and Forest Grove road
was completed the farmers could shiI
their wheat To Astoria for One-haif oi
what they now pay. End give handsome
profit 10 the railroad company for NOV
ing their grain 10 Astoria, where sea
going vessels could receive THEN full
cargo for any part of the globe. But -
long as they are obliged to pay 2 double
transfer at Portland. storage, wharfage
| lighterage and tOwage. they Will raise
less grain. They have no more faith IL
proposals and promises TIL the earth Is
broken and the work of constructing tins
railroad is commenced. They have
already seeded portion Cf their land e
grass this fall. and if this railroad is not
built soon the plains of Western Oregon
will be turned into stock ranges. IhS
people can drive cattle around the toll
gates of Portland with far more profit and
less labor than raising wheat TO give ,,
per cent. of IL to Portland before it can b,
moved TO tide water. and all the land nov
under a mortgage that cannot be re-
deemed can be returned to the Scotch
Loan company for a sheep ranch.
What / have written are facts and re
liable reports. together with my views Oi
the whole matter. and If il is worth any.
thing, or any part of il, 1 shall fee
thankful If YOU have a word of encOur-
agement concerning this matter.
SETTLER.
Pittsburg. Columbia Co. Nov. %, 1883
Use Dimmiffs Cough BaISam.
W. W. BattertOn, Columbia. Mo-, says
81 cannot say too much for Dimmitt',