The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1889-02-03
OF SUPREME INTEREST.
That Railroad to The Seaside
From Astoria, or Tauzy POint-whIch7

! COmctiue ago hebSrs. bennett ana
Larrabee bought the Ben Holladay
property, subject to redemption.
! The court gave the executors, Geo.
Weidler and Jos. Holladay a certain
time IN which to redeem it, and at
their request extended the time. The
limit expired at midnight of Thurs.
day, January 3lst. Negotiations
were almost complete: VIM. s. Ladd,
OF Portland had offered sufficient
$4,000 at z per cent.,-but at the
last minute the eccentric Joseph
backed down, wouldn't sign, and SO.
Bennett and Larrabee retain poses-
sion Of the property.
So much by way of preface.
We, of Astoria, are affected by this
very directly.
Nelson Bennett, the new possessor
OF the Holiday property, is a railroad
builder. He built part of the North
ern Pacific railroad, pierced the Gas.
cades with the famous tunnel, has
cleaned up between S5,000,000 and
S6,OO0,0O0, and would as soon build a
little Sl,00,000 railroad as not, Just
for pastime, especially il that railroad
would pour passengers down to q
seaside hotel OF which he was propri-
etor. Men like Nelson Bennett know
a good thing when they see it, even
il other people do not.
He probably sees that the finest
beach on the Pacific coast would at
tract lOO,OOO people every year il
that number or any considerable
part OF that number could get to it
from the heated interior without
riding twelve or thirteen miles
through the sand.
We, of Astoria, probably see that
ourselves; We probably see how
profitable such a road would be from
Astoria to the Seaside, but the birds
are flying over our heads and We are
occasionally asking each other with
easy sarcasm, What is the Astoria
and South Coast Railway Co. doing"
1t is
VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION
To every one here. But it is not SO
much what the railroad Company is
doing as what you, gentle or saw
age reader, who are reading these few
lines that come hoping you are we'll
thi" Sunday morning, are doing.
For the railroad company is doing
just what you are doing, and can
move no faster than you work. It Is
your creature. You are its creators.
II you go ahead, push, rustic, see
q hat things can be done, they will do
these things; if you go to sleep and
rest content with lazily asking what
the directors are dong, the work will
languish.
God helps those that help them
selves" II he doesn't, people who
help themselves get there just the
same. But We can't lift ourselves
over the fence by pulling on the
straps of our boots.
That a railroad is going to Clatsop
beach is a sure thing. But just
where it starts from is not SO sure.
That is for US to say. TIE AsToBIAN
has it straight enough and authentic
enough to publish it as a fact tnat
unless there is more energy displayed,
more alacrity in bestowing or arrang-
ing right OF way, terminal facilities,
etc, that
RAILROAD FROM TANzY POINT
Will be inaugurated before long, and
it won't be Astorians nor Astoria
money that will build it, but it will
be built-unless we here give tangi-
ble evidence of the faith that is in us.
With the property holders of this
city rests the solution of the question.
"Shall the railroad to the Seaside
start from Astoria, or from Tanzy
Point:"
Plain talk about this thing is best.
1t will cost Sl50,000 to put this road
through. That means that the pres
ent capital stock must be doubled to
bridge Young's bay and go ahead, be-
sides more liberality and promptness,
moro business and less shuffling
about the right of way. This thing
Of provlsos and promises with strings
tied to them is all bosh. The road is
going to be built, but whether from
Astoria or Tanzy Point is for those
who have chance to make money by
navIng it built from here, to say.
Men who own property here have the
say 80. They might as we'll get the
idea out of their heads in '89 as in '9e
that somebody" has "got to come
here" aud "do something" Let them
do that something themselves. Great
men make opportunities; smaller
minded men embrace opportunities,
men of little mehtal caliber let op
portunities go by unimproved.
The opportunity exists right here
and now. The directors OF the Asto.
ria and South Coast Railway com
pany
FIND THEIR HANDS TIED.
And need cooperation, assistance
substantial backing in place Of chilly
comment, adverse criticism, and sar
castle questioning.
II this rough written speech makes
anybody "wrathy," the writer is glac
OF it. A man who has life and e
enough in him to even get "Iiled'
when he is told the plain truth is no
altogether lost to possibility o
being enterprising.
1t is good to be conservative ant
cautious, but life isn't worth living !
one has to stay snoozing in imam
. somnolence till his name is dropped
from the muster rolls Of activity AM
be slips down the back stairs OF Tim
into musty oblivion.
! Unity OF effort, singleness OF pun
, pnse, combined intent can do won
. ders. Five per cent of the value Q
. this city. properly handled, woul