News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-07-02
Letter from Oregon.

Letter from Oregon.
PORTLAND, Or.
Messrs. Editors
When you buy canned salmon be sure
that the article has been put up on the
Columbia River. l do not give this adj
vice to boom the products of my adop-
TED State, but because the Columbia
River salmon are by far the best. Sal
mon are found in all the rivers OF the Pa
cltlc coast, from the Sacramento to the
Alaska, but the Chinook is found only in
the Columbia, and the Chinook is the
only salmon worth eating. Canned sal
mon has been brought into disrepute be-
cause this fact is not generally known in
the east. People thinking all Pacific coast
salmon are alike, buy that put up in Cal
lfornla, caught in the Sacramento river,
and are disappointed. There is as much
difference between Columbia river SAL
mon and the Sacramento river fish as
there is between brook trout and bull
pouts. The trout found in the streams
OF the country are in every way inferior
to the brook trout of Vermont. The
| trout here weighs from half to three
| pounds, shaped like herring and marked
by feeble stripe and few pale spots.
Its flesh has not the real trout flavor.
| The people here are satisfied with it,
however, and go fishing every Sunday
with great regularity. Sunday fishing
and shooting here is down to a science.
A party of sportsmen hire small steam
boat and go to some of the islands or
streams of the Columbia to fish and hunt.
The salmon of this coast cannot be
caught with hook. In this they differ
| from the Atlantic coast salmon. and are
valueless to the sportsman. They are
taken only in nets or in trans When
Lord Ashberton was negotiating his IA
nous treaty regarding the boundary line
between the United States and the Brit
ish possessions, the ownership of this
whole northwest coast was unsettled.
AshburtOn sent his son, who was an arr
dent sportsman, out here to look the
country over and report whether it was
valuable enough to insist on its possess
sion. Young Ashburton came here, and
after a short reaalrsee wrote to his faith
er, ''Cede liked country to the
Yankees, the salmon wont rise to fly"
and so the United States became possess
sed of Oregon and Washington.
Although we have no genuine graves Of
soldiers who died or were killed during
the war OF the rebellion, still we observe
Decoration Day. At Vancouver, the U.
S. military post. the celebration took the
form of parade and speeches. Van
couver is one of the oldest towns in the
northwest, so old, in fact, that it has
fallen into decay. There is no fort, but
a military post. There are now fourteen
companies of infantry and some gattling
guns stationed there under the command
of General Miles. The parade of the
regulars and batteries was credible, and
the speech of Gen. Miles from fair to
middling. The military brass band at
Vancouver, however, is superb. 1t is the
only body of men in the northwest CAS-
pable Of producing music. But we are
ambitious to become musical, and band
can be found in almost every town.
Some celebrated parsonage was passing
through town in eastern Qrgon q few
days ago, and the band, organized just
ten days before, undertook to serenade
the celebrity. They were aware of q
lack of harmony, and the leader, as a
precaution, wore upon his back a large
placard upon which was printed these
words, Don't shoot, boys; we're doing
the best we CAM
Inc editors of Iowa are on the coast
sightseeing. They have been ON the
Sound and up the Willamette Valley.
Ihey express themselves in public as
being delighted with everything, as in
deed they should. In return for free rail-
road fare, free hotels, free carriages, free
whiskey, etc. They have never seen
such mountains, such rivers, such wheat
fields, such fruit, but privately they in
quire, "where the dickens is the sum-"
The solar orb seems to be left out of the
scheme of creation. Senator John Sher-
man also has been doing the country.
He expresses himself as being delighted
with Oregon, He says the country is
ravalatfaD RI him ho did not 70
ever see such garden spot on earth.
One would gather from his speeches that
his greatest pleasure would be to settle
down on a farm in the Willamette Val
ley. He predicts colossal future for
Organ. all of which tickles us immense
ly. But when we remember that he said
the same things about California, WASH
ington Territory and several other plao-
es where he was called on for a speech,
the value of his unstinted praise is some
what deprecated. 1t Is wonderful how
free ssi%f fta T;asrs sara"sh Conn
guished man. If you want the truth
about place, get it from a man who
pays for all he gets, and views the mag
niicent forests with possibility of hav-
ing by his own hard labor to cut them
down before he can raise dollars worth
off the land.
For the last five or six weeks there has
been more or less rain every day. This
has damaged the fruit crop, and is dam
aging the wheat, although the wheat
fields of Oregon will bear more wet
weather than those of any other country,
England excepted. The wet weather
cracks the cherries, beats the berries off
the bushes, and renders the whole crop
tasteless. Strawberries have sold from
three to five cents per pound, raspberries
two to four cents, and cherries three to
five GENTS, according to quality. Hun
dreds of tons will rot ON the ground. |
There is but one small canning factory
in Oregon. The people allow their ma
tive fruit to rot on the ground and i'm |
port their canned fruit from California.
Democratic reform" has struck the |
State. The postmaster at McMumlee |
has been removed for offensive parti- |
sanship." He was Union soldier. The |
new man is q rebel sympathizer from |
Missouri, who left and came here when |
the State got too hot to hold him. after |
the Union sentiment in Missouri predom-
mated.
The Oregon Democrat is an enthusiast
tic admirer of the lost cause, and firm |
believer in the righteousness of slavery.
They once endeavOred to pass a bill |
through the legislature introducing sla-
very into the State. Son Beecher's APP
pointment to the relationship at Port
Townsend Is unfavorably regarded by
both parties on this coast.
A Chinaman killed another in the Joss
house the other day. The Chinese have
little reverence for their place of wor-
ship, or for their religion. They gamble,
smoke opium and sell lottery tickets in
the Joss house. They have a wholesome
fear of the devil, and well they may, for
if he don't get the whole of them he will |
be badly swindled devil. They have
no more idea of piety or religion than
hog has of holiday. DOCTOR.