Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1888-05-24
WHY WAS IT ?

u N. COUpdutcSi COuCsu"c wv :" ""' ~
Snake river to Lewiston From credi-
ble authority we have learned, that
President Adams and the representative
Of Mr.. Potter (he himself being then
rick and unable to attend) both urged
the immediate construction Of this road to
Lewiston, and the only formidabls Office
ton made to this was made BY the Port
land delegation. who insisted that it should
not be done at present, that it was not
no much needed Us lines in other direc.
tons, where there was neither railroads
nor steamboats, and their psrsistency
finally prevailed, and as consequence,
after they had got contractors to be to
the expense Of coming from abroad, to
view the work Anbe done, and make
estimates and put in their bids for the
work, they concluded not to let the con-
tract, not because the bids we're too high,
but because of the decision of the dele.
gates at New York, through the urgency
Of the Portland delegation that it should
not be done. Some Of this Portland
delegation have had for years the pat.
yonage 10 their business Of the people Of
Lewiston and vicinity, which has been
equal If not greater than any other point
On the river, and for the goods they have
bought OF those who were merchants in
Portland. they have paid the highest
prices, and for their transportation home
they have always paid the highest
freights and their business has always
been advancing ns the country has
grown. In turn they have furnished
largely ia the grain shipments to Port.
land, would have doue three, four and
i've times as much as now, had there
been the proper transportation such as a
railroad would provide at the proper time
after each harvest instead Of having to
wait from three to ten months before
they could ship to saleablc market
Such has been the cmbarrassments which
We, AZ people, have suffered which
We had hoped would be coon removed
by the building Of railroad up the
Snake rive as far as Lewiston which
would have been soon extended to
Camas Prairie aud even further east as
fart % it could be built, aud find traffic
and trade all the way, without waiting
for settlers for they would be there lons
before the road would be completed. l.
It possible that the merchant directo rs
of the o. R. d N. company, who wer.
in the meeting at New York, don't know
the resources Of this country, that they
should protest against the building Of q
railroad up Snake river to Lewiston and
beyond? This may have been, for We
remember Of meeting prominent mer
chant who has been doing wholesal.
business in Portland for upwards Of
twenty years, when We visited the coun
try about Spokane Falls short time ago
and he remarked to US that the exteu,
and character Of this eastern country,
aud it's prospective resources as,onished
him. l told him that he was not thu
only man doing big business and hAG
done it for years, who did not know
whence their business came to them, no,
who created for them the bulk Of theil
business, because they never visited tn,
localities from which that bushes.
sprang, and to US it always seemed the,
did not much care so long as it came u
them. 1t may have been the case will
some of those Portland directors VII,
opposed the building Of railroad up t.
Lewiston. At any rate it would be ex-
tremely unGenerous on the part Of oul
people to suppose that Portland ant
even al the Willamette valley have fer
COTTON the aid which this section CIV,
them from our mines, when the foods
irosts and snow devasted the Willamett,
valley and almost Frustrated Portland il
1862. 1t was then Nsz P.rce, Idah,
and south part Of Shosbone county
placer mines contributed largely il
repairing the wastes Of Portland and tn.
Willamette valley, and more largel,
then any one factor and heretofore thu
people Of Oregon have acknowledged tn,
fact. Why then did these Portland
delegates, in New York, turn the colo
shoulder Of prosperity Of these counties
and withhold their voice 10 our behalf
when they could have aided US in secur-
ing railroad to come here, which ",
have needed so long and urg+rtly. Il
give us prosperity proportionatc to .oul
great resources These delegates were
bad representatives of the true intesests
ct Portland. or they were stupidity ignor.
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