, 1886-06-24
Congress will Head.

T., ma Lsdg-rl
The interest and desires of the
people who are to be affected by any
measure pending in congress will be
needed and carefully considered by
that body before action IS taken.
Such has always been the custom.
Such is always the duty, recog
nized by members and senators with
ont exception. This practice viii not
fail the people Of Washington Terri
tory In their present sore emergency
wherein their most vital concerns are
menaced bya hostile measure urged
to enactment by their enemies. We
need but speak our interests and dc
sires and congress Will hear us. 1t
viii listen when we say that our ter
ritocy has never yet escaped from
commercial slavery TO the Oregon
town of Portland and its Transports
ton lines, but that it has for ten
years been pursuing III a completed
Cascade division the only available
means Of escape from that slavery.
over the mountains between Puget
Sound and the Prairics of eastern
Washington large part of the SUR
plus wheat product Of the territory,
estimated this year at fifteen million
bushels. must be shipped at extor-
tionate rates over the Oregon Rail
way and Navigation road to Portland
and there pay toll before getting to
sea. The case is illustrated by tte
- +.4fn tT9ef .F-i,not DE
the Northern Pacific in eastern
| Washington IS worth ten cents Per
bu5hel more than at any point in
that section on the .. II. & \. road
and simply because it will command
IN Minneapolis, after haul of thous-
and miles over the Northern Pacific,
greater price net than in Portland
after a haul Of only two hundred
miles over the O. r. u N.-that same
q. Il. & n. whose agents with those
of the Union Pacific and with Voor-
hees. who Is false to the people, are
so busy in Washington lobbying for
measure which would prolong our
slavery and enable the y, r. 4 n. 10
continue the extravagant freight
charges at the expense of the farm
ers
Here is the whole situation in a few
plain words: The wheat fields are
from $50 to $50 miles from tide water
on Puget Sound. All of the road
necessary to furnish direct and
cheap outlet to the ocean has been
built except IS miles on the noun
tains and foothills. This Is miles is
part of the line which parallels and
threatens to take the business of the
o. Il. x n. which runs down along
the southern bank of the Columbia
river. The provision il part foI
building this seyentyfve miles has
been made by an agreement for the
sale of the bonds to be issued upon q
mortgage covering the lands granted
along this unbuilt section OF the line
where they now have several thOus-
and men 1T work and machinery and
power on Il large scale boring tun
mel $3.50 feet long through the sum-
NIT of the range. If the bill nov
pending before congress to declare
forfeited the part of the grant refer
red to, becomes q law, then the pro
vision made, as shown, for the com
pletiOn of the road is no better than
if it had never been made and the
work of construction stops and this
only mode of escape from slavery is
eat off, and the 0. II. & \. railroad
company becomes cheerful again and
looks long way into the future and
debates as to how many years
it can keep the farmers hard at work
for it and thinking of the large scoop
ful Of wheat which it will take out cf
every sack of the fifteen millions OF
bushels; and when it thinks of these
things it will sing ira la-but the
farmers will almost weep, and will go
into all sorts of little local railroad
schemes in their endeavor 10 escape
the tyranny of the Oregon Railroad
& Navigation company, thus spend
ing their slender means aud taking
on burdens of debt.
Do you hear this, all you good and
wise people of congress2 Are you
going to be hoodwinked into doing
this unjust thing? We do not be-
lieve that the behests of the interest
ed lobby are of more weight in your
eyes than the welfare Of the greatest
by nature of the commonwealth.