Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1890-03-28


timent was strongly in favor of helping
Lewiston to a railroad.
Spokane Falls Spokesman.
There was very full meeting of the
board of trade at the Office of Bolster q
Co. last evening President Taylor was
absent but vice. president Sherwood fill
ed the chair very acceptably while sec
rotary Norman smoked an Havana and
kept the minutes. The members had
convened to meet delegation of promi-
nent citizens from Lewiston who came
to ask the board to aid them in getting
road built to the metropolis ofthe Snake.
1t was the most liberal com mittee or
party Of railroad promoters who had
ever visited the city and they were re
ceived with open arms. No bonus was
asked, only moral support and work by
the Spokane board with the Northern
Pacific officials to persuade them to ex-
tend their Spokane Palouse branch to
Lewiston in time to move this years
crop.
Dr. Kelly, of Lewiston, was the first
speaker. He is tall, has long white
beard, and good delivery. 1--WE have
raised" he said, 100000 in Lewiston as
bonus for a railroad to our town,so that
we can move our crops. We have the
richest country in the world. We can
produce an abundance of all kinds of
fruit and grain crops. and orr vegetables
are now nearly matured sufficiently to
be ready for the table. But we cannot
get any of the produce to market. We
have only an irregular line of steamers
on the river, or else ten-mile drive up
a mountain to Unontown. Half the
wheat we raise we never can get to
market at all. We do not ask you to aid
us with money, What we want is your
moral support and your exer,ons joined
to ours in urging the Northern Pacific
Railroad to build a line to our town
this year. The surveys have been made,
and everything is ready to commence
work. We promise you a large market
and profitable one. We wish to be
joined to you; We wish to be tributary
to you; we wish to be with you"
The doctor sat down amid round of
hearty applause, and Mr., Howe, secretary
of the Board of Trade of Lewiston, was
introduced. He reiterated what DR..
Kelly had said and declared that unless
person had visited Lewiston he could
form no idea ofthe beauty of the country,
nor of its vast productiveness. The mer-
chants of Lewiston would give their
trade to whatever section or town would
assist in building railroad for them.
There was no foreign market. The
wheat producers were forced to sell at
home, where there was no competition.
MIR. Parker, of Camas Prairie, was the
Lewiston, but he wanted it through
Camas Prairie. idaho County where he
lived, was 200 miles wide by 225 miles in
lengh, and so up and down hill that if il
was stretched out fiat it would cover the
State Of Texas [laughterl. As it was ii
was as big as Rhode Island, Connecticut
and Massachusetts. 1t was a wonder
fully fertile region; could produce any
quantity of vegetables and fruit; but
never raised anything more than they
consumed themselves, because they had
to haul it sixty or seventy miles to reach
Lewiston, and there was not much of a
market even when they got there.
, There were not a thousand voters in all
Idaho County. yet besides the agricul-
tural resources the mountains were rich
with gold and precious metals. Very
T rich quatz was to be found there, but
there were no transportation facilities,
and it Was worthless. 1t cost five cents
per pound to freight goods to the towns
in Idaho County. "We once bad greet
+ ambitions ourselves" said Mr.. Parker
but we have abandoned them. We are
satisfied now TO be tributary TO yon; TO
acknowledge that Spokane Falls is our
T metropolis, Come on with your railroad
and we will send you quantities Of pro-
duce and buy of you lots OF goods. We
will guarantee in stock alone 10000
horn cattle and 5000 horses Cor your
market year"
Mr.. Parker was greeted with applause.
Mr.. Bunnell, in response to a call, said
he was not much of II speaker. He en-
dorsed all the preyiou speakers had
said and looked confidently to the Spo-
kane Board of Trade for assistance. Mr..
Alexander was another merchant of
Lewiston who had lived there since
1863. Before there was any railroads in
the country the river WAS a blessing.