News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-09-09
Letter from Oregon.
PORTLAND, Oregon.

MeSSrS. EdltOTS:
The anti-Chinese agitation on this
coast is dead and buried. A day was
fixed for the expulsion of the heather
from this city, but when the day came
round, the agitators were lacking IN
s'sand." The great West shot OFT Its
great mouth prematurely.
Just now the city is full of Grand
Army men, returning from San Fran
cisco by way of this city and the
Northern Pacific. Among them is
General Sherman, who is stopping at
a third-class hotel, but which is the
best the city affords. Our Jews pro-
posed to make show of the venera-
BILE warrior, and planned and adver-
tised a reception to which the public
were expected to pay an admittance
fee. The General was advertised as
the leading feature of the show, and
full house was anticipated, but when
Sherman was informed of the thrifty
little scheme he promptly sat down on
the whole business. No man, he
said, should pay to see him. He was
willing to 'shake" as long as the
muscles of his arm held out, but the
shakes must be free. Portland en-
joys the proud distinction of being
the only city in America that has tried
to make money by charging an admis-
sion to see a war veteran. But charg-
ing is our strong point. we charge
for anything and everything. we
charge each other and the stranger
within our gates" This propensity to
teharge is what is steadily reducing
Portland's prospects. Men who come
here are disguised with the greedy av-
ariciousness of everybody. Nothing
iean be had for its true value; real es-
tate, labor, service, merchandise, ev
erything is inflated. Fruit growers
will let their crops rot rather than sell
at reasonable figure. Owners of
houses and lots will allow them to re-
main vacant rather than accept less
than II or Is per cent. on an inflated
valuation. And towering above every
/ body in greed are the railroads. They
grab land they have not earned, and
sites to which they have no title. In
one other respect do we stand ahead
Of all other States in the Union. we
have two railroad senators. The ma
jority of the States are content with
one. Both our men owe their posi-
ton to railroad influence, and both
have been and are corporation attor-
neys. Dolph is a third rate lawyer,
with big beard, big voice, big house
and big stomach; ''only this and
nothing more. MitchelPs malodorous
reputation is known to all.
1t is amusing to watch the jealousy
existing between this city and Taco
ma. Three weeks ago a ship was
wrecked at the mouth of the Colum-
bia river while endeavoring to cross
the bar which separates our port from
the broad Pacific. Immediately there
went up howl of delight from Ia
coma: "That fatal bar" ''that insur-
mountable obstruction to navigation,
ETC., filed the Tacoma papers for
week. When a shipwreck occurs on
the Sound, the Tacoma papers notice
itin two or three lines of small type
as a trivial affair. Portland affects to
regard the aspirations of Tacoma
with contempt, but it really fears the
Cascade division of the Northern Pa
cific, which will complete the line,
making Tacoma the terminus. Taco
ma calls the mountain which towers
$4,000 feet over the city, Mount Ia
coma. Portland refers to it as Mt.
Ravinc. Tacoma speaks of Portland
as the village on the creek; Portland
dimly remembers Tacoma as hamlet
at the wrong end of the Sound. In
the meantime both places are eating
canned string beans put up in Mary
land, and are without energy enough
to manufacture single necessary ar
ticle, and that, too, with the raw ma
terial lying about in abundance.
+ presume you are about tired of
hearing of Oregon. / started with
the intention of relating the expert
ence of Vermont man whom l met
the. other day, but find have taken
up my space with the old story and
must defer the account of his start
ling adventure until my next.
Doctor.