The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-07-10
shN.lgOS 60Ee4S ADDRESS.

80 an luIOrtudi auur0Ss Uy ccHdgOr -. ltr
sDolph on matters of general interest TO
the people of this section. The senatorS
commenced his remarks by referring to
the evidences OF prosperity and growth
and development he had observed every
where, on his trip from Portland to La
Grand, as we'll as in Portland and the
cities of the Willamette valley. Twenty
nine years ago he had passed the place
where Baker City now stands, when it
had not an inhabitant and camped on
the site of La Grand, when it had only
two shanties in the whole of that lovely
valley. Portland had only about $500
inha bitantS when he first came to reside
there, now it is a great teeming. prosper
Gus city of 10000 persons. He thought
this northwest country and he saw no
reason to doubt that the next few years
would see great influx of population.
This country is practically the last place
in the United States for settlement and
cultivation. The best parts of the Mis-
sissippi valley have been already settled,
and the country between there and
Eastern Oregon is not adapted to a large
DODuIdVlOH. n IllIIOTcO ySdiS ftSO OhOlO
was not white man on the Pacific
coast from the Gulf of California to the
regions of eternal ice.
The senator gave some Interesting tig-
ures showing the amount of appropria-
tions made for the improvements of our
rivers and harbors, since the year 1922.
From that date to 1890 neless than $205,
al 1a1 4 RI
half of this sum had been appropriated
since he took his seat in congress in 1888.
OF this sum Oregon had succeeded in
obtaining $5,779,S16. The appropria-
tions secured last season for work in this
state amounted to 81 ,495, 500; and this
sum exceeded any general appropriation
made by the government up to the year
1868. These figures proved that congress
had treated Oregon kindly. The ietty
at the mouth of 1.-The Columbia was a
complete success. There ewas now
depth of twenty-seven feet at mean low
I tide. Another small appropriation will
suffice to finish the work when the bar
at the mouth of the Columbia will be
practically a thing of the past and we
shall have safe entrance for the largest
vessels in the world. Speaking of the
works at the Cascades the senator
regretted that it will take nearly as much
to finish them as has already been APP
! propriated. He characterized the man
ner in which the appropriations are
made as unbusinesslike, wasteful and
criminal Unless something unusual
occurred he hoped to secure, next session
of congress, enough to complete, at least,
one of the great works of the state and
perhaps both. He had never opposed
the building of a portage road by the
state, but he did not believe that con-
gress would consent to build portage
road around the distractions at The
| Dalles. The Uuited States had never
/ built portage road. A railroad is not
strictly river improvement. To build
such would be a new departure and
would be considered the entering wedge
for others, like the camel in the tailor
shop, once he got his head in it was
easy to get the rest. He was not in
favor of camel. 1t would cost more
than ten million dollars and could
not be built for many year. A
boat railroad was perfectly prac-
ticable and could be finished in one
or two years at farthest; large boats can
be transported overland without injury.
This fact is beyond question. A boat
railroad, seventeen miles in length is
now in course of construction and will
soon be finished across the bay of CHG
nesto. By it's means large vessels will
be lifted out of the Bay of Fundy and
transported to the Gulf of st. Lawrence.
The estimated cost of such road around
The DalIes is $2,900,OOO. Referring to
the matter that was uppermost in all
minds, nal..ely, that of urging the COM
pletion of the works at the Cascades by
the contract system. The senator read
extracts from letter of Major Handbury
to the chief of engineers wherein the
major deprecates the idea OH the ground
that dishonest contractor would have
too many opportunities for using cheap
material and doing poor work and that
as the government has every needed ap-
pliance and a we'll organized force fol
doing the work and is doing it honestly
economically and with all possible dis
patch, consistent with the amount oi
money at its disposal, its officers should
not be set aside to give way to an indi'
vidual, whose only merit might be that
he thinks he can do it cheaper than the
government and is willing to give bonds
The senator referred to the difficulty
likely to be encountered through the op