Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1889-05-27
SENET-wEEKLx
REVIEW
THE LIsKFILLE Bo1D.
+. cortland Mercury.l

our late legislature should have done
and did not do, as also some things 1t
did do which it ought not to have done.
For instance, it passed bill approprl-
ating $4,000 for wagon road from
Paisley in southeastern Oregon VIA
Keno to the California line on the
Klamath river. There was consider
able opposition to this bill, and it only
got through the lower house by one
vote Tt was known as the Cogswell
bill, and was introduced by Senator
Cogswell, of Iakeview. The effect OF
the bill will be to smooth way down
the Klamath river over which the I'M
portant commerce Of southeastern Ore
oon can be made to flow into Callfor-
MIA instead of retaining the advantages
of that trade in our own state. Many
members now see how they were de.
ceiyed. They were told that 1t was
only slight divergence to avoid the
heavy mountains between Llnkvllle
and Ashland, and that it oEly passed
into California about six miles and re-
turned. This we are credibly informed
was an inexcusable misrepresentation.
The trade SO diverted is thrown into
our sister state on the south side of the
Siskiyon mountains where 1t is invarl
ably and of necessity carried to San
Francisco. When we consider the i'm
portance of the rapidly growing trade
Of southeastern Oregon, we can at once
appreciate the loss to our own state 10y
such AN act, and can only characterize
the act as Job by which most of the
members who supported it were badly
duped. Matters of this kind are of the
utmost Importance to Portland and
should not be neglected. We ought 10
do all in our power to concentrate the
commerce of every part of our state at
our own metropolis instead Of paying
money out of our own treasury to en-
rich rival cities in other states. Some
years ago an appropriation of S40,ooO
was made by the legislature Of Oregon,
to bnild the Southern Oregon wagon
road from Ashland across the Cascade
mountains into southeastern Oregon
and for number of years great part
of the freights of that section were
taken over this road. Had the 81 5,OOt
been appropriated to repair and i'm
prove this road, which is one of Ore
CONS most important highways, insteac
Of putting it into the pockets Of Cali
fornia neighbors, the Portland mer
chants, instead of San Francisco mer
chants would be able to furnish south
eastern Oregon, or, at least to compete
with San Francisco for that trade. Il
-is not the loss of the S15, 900 so much
as it is the loss of the trade occasioned
by 1t. The Portland merchants are
neglecting other sections of the state
also that are worth looking after. The
Umpqua, Coos Bay and Coquille eoun-
tries, do an immense trade with San
Francisco that ought to be done at
Portland The building of a good road
from Roseburg to Coos bay is all right
and ought to be aided by the state
but when it comes to deliberately pay
ing out money to drain us of our
wealth, it would appear to a reasonable
man that there is something more than
mistake about. Aside from all this
there are features about the Co9swell
bill that ought to have opened the eyes
of the most stupid, and particularly as
it was introduced by c. A. Cogswell