The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1889-06-29

may not come and go without knowing
Oregon has Hood River valley. The
Hood River people may not have much
but what they have is their own, and
they DO not pride themselves in owning
several hundred acres OF land covered
by first, second and third mortgages,
as is the case in many other localities.
In fact, it is doubtful if you can find
another agricultural people encum-
bered with so little debt, and surrounded
with so many natural conveniences IN
the state, as those of Hood River valley.
If any one should become dissatisfied
with Hood River and her surroundings
let them take trip at this season OF the
year, over the dry, treeless region OF
Eastern Oregon and Washington terri
tory, and they will certainly return, re-
penting of having complained. From
The Dalles to Spokane Fails it is one
continuous stretch of rolling hills and
| holoWs. This OF course is the great
wheat producing belt, and under favor
able circumstances its productiveness
is comparatively astonishing, but the
| great misfortune of this business is, the
producer too often receives the least OF
! the profits thereof. The country, how
ever, is gradually merging from the
most stressing circumstances, and each
year finds the people in little easier
condition, and there is apparent gen.
| eral contentedness and satisfaction, ex-
cept with few, whose ambition is
never satisfied because they can't raise
enough to get money enough to buy
land enough to raise wheat enough on.
And it is this class OF farmers who
slight their work, try to put the whole
country in wheat who suffer most dur
ing such times as we are having now.
There never was better prospect for an
abundant harvest in the history of the
country than there has been this spring,
but the recent hot winds have proven
very disastrous. There is abundant mois-
ture in the ground butt does not come
to the surface as it usually does, and
these winds and hot nights have literally
cooked and wilted the wheat to the
| ground in many localities. Under the
most favorable circumstances the coun-
try cannot now expect more than half
crop and many farmers will have to buy
their bread and seed. From Pendleton
to Dayton the fall wheat that was prop
erly put in is doing quite well, but from
! Dayton to Spokane there is nothing but
little strip very near the mountains,
from Lewiston to Rockford, and this can
not hold out long against this hot
weather without rain. We have Just re.
turned from trip through the great Pa
louise country and know the above state
ment to be fact, but it is the first fail
ure ever EaJwn in this celebrated wheat
producing section.
The towns along the line are all in
very prosperous condition, and many
substantial improvements are being
made. Pendleton is becoming quite a
city and much money is being expended
in fine brick blocks and permanent inn
provements, and the volume of business
will still be increased by the opening of
the state road to Canyon City. Athena,
in the pride of her new name, is rushing
along assuming a dignity becoming
CITY of much greater proportions. The
towns of the Palouse country are all
building rapidly, but the shortage of
and force some OF the light merchants to
the wall.
Walla Walla's attention seems to be
| almost whollya bsorbed in the "great
Hunt SYSTEM" as some of her enthus-
iastic citizens are wont to call it. They
gave Mr.. Hunt 100000 to come in, and
now they want to give him 100000 to
60 on, and in his great generosity" he
has accepted the proposition. How
absurd, how reckless And yet, to
speak against it is to call forth storm
of harrangue from its supporters about
'mossbacks," "deadheads," etc. The
Walla Walla Journal dubs Mr.. Hunt as
"our redeemer," "the saviour of the
country" etc. AS brother Besserer is
too smart man to be the thus "soft-
soaped, we will be pardoned in think
ing he is just hired to put taffy on Mr..
Hunts stick. Everybody knows that
if the Northern Pacific does not own
these roads it soon will, and that the
same rates will be maintained as are
given over the O. r. IN The time has
/ come when the N. P. is determined to
enter the o, r. & N. territory, and the
, probability is, Mr.. Hunt is the con-
( tractor in disguise Tor this company,
t and the bonuses he gets is clear gain.
He built the Pendleton branch last fall
J to the brow of the hill four miles from
J the city, and then stacked arms and
+ waited for the 100000 bonus. The
: amount was finally reduced to $4,000,
} and the good people made it up and the
3 grading is now completed and the trains
: will soon be running in. Here is an
| other absurdity: to stop four miles out
Q of place transacting the business Pen.
| dleton does, and stay out for year
waiting for bonus which one month s
Z business would nearly pay. But various
5 are the schemes individuals as we'll as
/ corporations have for feathering their
, nests. MEMO.
r Walla Waila reports much damage to
2 | prain crnns from dry meafher nnd tho