, 1889-05-09


of the sawmills and consequent scarcity of
building material gives Cofax an un.
wopted uuiet air. l. ,te rains have cause
the river to rise somewhat, however. and
the logs were beginning to move at last
| accounts.
Co,fax has electric lights, complete
telephone system, and street railway is
projected, A large pork packing estab
| lishmpnt was put in here last fall and ia
| educational matters Coltax leads all towns
| of its size in the country, having q fine
college and two commOdiOus school build
| iDRs The two newspapers OF the place
| the Gazette and Commemorate among
the leading journals Of the northwest.
The business men IRE wide.awake, enter.
pr.sing and progressive
The Oregon Railway & Navigation com.
pany is building an immense grain tle.
along the line. These elevators will save
the farmers OF the Palouse country $lOO,-
600 annually in the price OF wheat sacks.
THE RoCKFoRD BRANCH.
The people t Colfax are much interested
branch of the u r. Il N. from Rockford
TO Spokane Falls. as 1t will place them on
direct line from the Falls City to Port
Ian :, and it Is reasonably supposed that
large portion OF the passenger traffic which
now goes over the Northern Pacific from
Spokane Falls to Pasco will be diverted TO
the more attractive route OF the U. II q N
through the PMlouse country ana the beau
tifui Walia Wa''a va'iey' VI tne nun
ireds OF Immigrants VINO pass throueh
Spokane Fails every Gay en- route 10 the
coun ntry west Of the mountains, perhaps
not half dozen on each train are aware
that, wrile they are impatient to leave
the barren country through wh'ch
they pass between spokane ralls
ana fnsco, they hre passing
all The time wlthin few miles OF an aeri'
cultural region OF unsnrpassed richness
and beauty. Inc v. q N. taps this
fertile country from ROCKFORD TO Prndle-
ton. Oregon, and the completion OF the
ROCKFORD branch TO spokane Falls now
only matter or a rev months, Will give
the home seekers from the East an oppor-
tunity to see this rich region; and seeing,
thousands will be 30 favorably impressed
that they Will never pass beyond Its limits.
IL has always been mystery to many peo-
Pile why the Northern Pacific, instead of
traversing the section from Spo.
Kane Falls west to the Columbia
rivera non production region which
affords little or no traffic -
did not take In the Palouse country. Wal
Ia Walla Valley and the rich plains of
Umatilla county, Oregon. The o. r. x n.
nov has this section all to itself with the
exception of the two new branches of the
Hunt system. and reaps q rich harvest in
the way of freight traffic.
THAT EVERLASTING COURT HOUSE.
The question ct building court house
for Whitman county is again revived with
all its bitterness. For years this question
has been one OF wraDgle, and sectional
t,sAl tul nd
legislation, and the di' play of some of the
most positive cussedness on record. The
amount OF the whole matter is that the
county OF whitman, one OF the largest
and weatbiest in the territory, has no
court house. An old tum mble.down Iook-
cry, which would make q tolerably good
barn If sufficiently repaired, is Used for
county Offices, The jail is fit companion
for the Otner building used for county
purposes. Heretofore it has been the Gus
tom ior prisoners VINO did not like this
JAIL to pack their traps, Kick the door
down ana walk away; but last fall An old
man, not very strong, was confined there.
and got SICK, 10 That ne was unable to
break out. de now has $4,000 damage
suit pending against the county. for fore
ing him to remain In place not ht for
human being 70 liye In In, place is 30
notoriously unhealthy that Judge Lang
Ioiu ofueieu n9at 'uu Voun'y PrisVners oe
confined at Wa'la Walia until whitman
county shall provide a decent place to
keep them.
Why don't the p eope build court
houser Because all the towns in the east
END OF the county want to be the county
seat, and hence are opposed to building a
,ouso N.; ~ "I ieasou kiv wi,
be divided sometime and the people Of the
east end do not propose 70 helm bnild n
court ouse for the west end. and in the
event of the division of the county be mt
TO the expepse OF building another Tor them.
selves B,.t the ,nsincerlt q of tneseobiections