News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-10-30
Letter from Oregon.
PORTLAND, Or, Oct, 1884.

hard times. The people take more
interest in the Presidential campaign
this year than ever before, because o
railroad connection with the estates,
as a good many of the old settlers
still express it. The chances are thai
the Republicans will carry the State
bv about three thousand majority next
|, November. They had rally few
nights ago, with torches, bands, etc.
The Democrats keep remarkably qui-
ct. Beyond a few banners displayed
; in the streets one would never dream
of the existence of the ''purity and
reform" party. There are few men
who believe that Butler would straight
en- things out and give his fellow
working-men q good job, were he
President, and St. John will poll 100
or so votes.
The principal papers of Portland
are Republican the Oregonian advo-
eating free trade and Republicanism.
The editor has rather hard time in
the face of Blaine's protection speech
es, to .'whoop it up" for the Republi-
can candidate and write free trade ed
itorials at the same time. He occu-
pies the position of man | know in
Vermont, who thinks the Universe
list doctrine would be all right if they
only believed in hell.
/ The wheat crop of the Willamette
VALLEY is better than it has been fol
years, averaging 40 bushels per acre.
Unfortunately wheat is worth, nomi-
finally, 60 cents bushel, but really,
Efhere is no demand forit at all. The
I fall rains came on somewhat earlier
this year, and perhaps one-third OF
1 the crop has been damaged, hut fol
that matter more or less wheat has
been spoiled in Oregon every year by
rain, for if the wet weather held OF
till Christmas there would be lots OF
farmers with a portion of their wheat
unharvested. Unfortunately for Or
egon, everything we have to sell is
down to led rock. as to prices. Fish
was never known to be so cheap,
lumber is depressed and wheat cannot
be sold for what it costs to raise it.
The consequence is hard times, with
harder coming. l shouldn't be sur
prised if some would be obliged to
stew the canary bird and fry the gold
fish.
The salmon pack on the Columbia
this year was 100000 cases, each
case containing "a one pound cans.
During a trip down the Columbia to
Astoria this season l examined close
" into the method of canning. The
fish are caught all along the river, but
principally at the mouth, just inside
the bar. The river at the bar is
about five miles wide, and the bar at
certain stages of the trade is as rough
a piece of water as exists. The boats
drift down to the bar and are often
caught in the brakers. No small
boat can live a moment in the brak-
ers, consequently the mortality by
Bdrowning among the fishermen aver
Eages one day. They are rough
Hot of men, of all nationalities, and
occasionally make Astoria howl. The
icanEery furnishes the boat and takes
one-third the catch for use of nets,
Iiboat, ETC.. The fishermen are paid
li75 cents for. each fish of the remain
ling thirds. The salmon weigh
lfrom so to rs pounds each. Some
times the ner make as high as $25 a
day. The season lasts from June 1st
to September 1st. Cinnamon cut up
and can the fish-a process not over
lcleanly in it's character.
II The lower Columbia is q lonely,
mountainous river. Miles and miles
J ZOE nigh bnnkss- the hills rolling inland
ana covered with fir, the hOmelieSt
tree that ever grew. Here and there
in a little cove, is a cannery, with a
cluster of dwellings about it, but farm
ing, there is none. Nothing but the
hills, the ugly trees and the broad,
swift river with the grey clouds above.
L met the pastor of one of our
churches not long ago, and the good
man complained bitterly of the hard
time. Religion is one of the first
luxuries which the western man dis
penses with. When times are flush,
churches are erected and ministers
thrive, but when the money market is
close. some Of our preachers are
obliged to go on foot. 1 will give
the western man credit, however, for
staying away from church altogether
when he can't pay his portion for the
support of the gospel. He does not
do as man [ know of in Boston,
who went to church regularly till just
before the time for the annual collec-
ton to be made, when he absented
himself till that troublesome ceremo-
ny was over.
don't know whether your CORE
spondent at Sellwood takes as cheer
full view of the situation as he did
or not. The value of his opinion,
however, is somewhat lessened when
we know that his letter was inspired
by an officer of the Oregon Bureau of
immigration, an institution which has
a large sized axe to grind. The fact
IS, that since the Willard boom CO.
iapsed there are more men-unskilled
laberers-here than can obtain en-
ployment. Even mechanics are hard
pushed to find anything to do at fair
wages. A man who has few hun
dred dollars to buy farm with can get
a better farm, cheaper, than in any
other State in the Union, but for the
man without money, and considerable
Of it, it is no place. 1t is not State
to which the poor man can emigrate
with profit. Reasons, cost of
transportation; passage and freight
are outrageous; second, high price
Of manufactured articles; third, the
immense cost and labor required to
get the land into cultivable shape.
improved farms will be sold cheap
this winter and next spring. The leg
islature, at its last session, two years
ago, passed what is known as the
mortgage tax law. The holder of q
mortgage is taxed three per cent. on
the amount. This naturally displeased
the capitalists, and they are calling
in all mortgages as fast as they are
due. The low price of wheat pre-
vents the farmers from raising the
money, and they can't borrow it, con-
sequently there are plenty of farms
on the market, as seven-tenths of the
farms in Lane and Yambill counties
are decorated VITA a mortgage.
Farms can be hired on the following
/ -, q 4