The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-12-01
Prospective and Retrospective.

Edst0r Chronicle:
We now look back to the days Of op-
preston from high freights and fares,
and upon the tiring efforts of persons
and people to release themselves from
the avaricious grasp of a very rich cor
poration which had squeezed every dollar
of their wealth from the people of Ore
gon and Washington, and when we made
an effort for release, as the putting on of
the steamers Little Teaser, Gold Dust
and many other similar efforts which are
yet in the memory of. old settlers, how
very soon did they pounce upon us like
hawk on chicken, and crushed soul,
life and intent out of it, until we were
almost disgusted with our own efforts.
But it is fact that oppression has its
day and truth and righteousness will
prevail. If so all the people will say
'tamen."
How fondly did we hope that congress
would relieve us! How sorely were we
disappointed When the building of
the locks was turned over to the war de-
partment we had a meeting at The
Dalles and discussed the matter at some
length. We remember that the writer
proposed that we petition congress to let
the building of the locks by contract but
a number of our influential citizens
thought the plan useless and impracti-
cable, some OF whom still live to see the
folly of the present plan of building the
locks.
We have always claimed that this rail-
road corporation has done nothing that
any other company or individual would
not have done under the same condi-
tions. They had held this mighty pass
through the Cascade mountains from
the Inland Empire to. the northwestern
tropolis-Portland- they viewed
it as rightfully belonging to them. They
bought us, paid their money for US and
owned us tas they thought) until now.
Portland has far less excuse for the
course she has pursued than the railroad
company foe they have made themselves
rich through their course, but Portland
has lost much of the trade of the Inland
Empire that even now an open river
Will not entirely bring back. She had
nearly lost the title of being the largest
city in the northwest and only by dint
of hard labor and raking and scraping
few of her suburban cities inside her
corporation has she maintained her
supremacy and wealth. Until recently
she has always thrown. her influence in
favor of the railroad com pany and
against this country. Her board of
trade and leading journal has spoken
an acted against an open river, the latter
at one time by saying that the govern
ment might as well THROW money into
the Columbia river as to appropriate it
for the locks. Had she stood in with us
as her.interests demanded, her popula-
ton today would have been 10000 more
and her commerce one-third greater.
Was she afraid of Astoria? Had she
contract with the railroad company that
their terminus should always remain at
Portland? Are they heartily in earnest
for an open river today? Does their
commercial board in indorsing the Paul
Mohr portage road system around the
dalles of the Columbia indicate their in
terest in the matter? Are they so inno-
cent and devoid of suspicion that they
capnot see that to build on the Wash
ington side, takes no trade but Klicki-
tat and we have that by an open river
just as surely as to build on that side.
Besides by building on that side we
throw it more or less out of the hands of
its friends and under the influence of the
North Pacific. company and large ma
jority of the legislature of the state and
all large cities of Washington. They are
| very innocent in this matter that we
fear it is mixed a little with guile.
| If they think the Union Pacific is 60
ing to give this entire river pass up with
out further struggle they are more
| they think to commence at this late day
fand sail through the distractions of this
Columbia pass on fowery beds of ease,
while we have struggled for fifteen or
twenty years to open the river from here
to Portland. Besides to build on this
side, the portage will be entirely under
the control of its friends and will directly
tap Sherman county at it's upper termi-
nus and also secure all the trade tribu-
j'tary to the Columbia river. The~people
of the Inland Empire are not alone in
thinking that Portland and the U. P.
! company are still working together to
prevent an open upper river. While we
do not accuse the editor of the Oregonian
of being An aspirant for congressional
honors, yet, though he usually main
tains his editorial perch with unusual
steadiHess on most occasions, when the
editor of the Astoria Daily Talk, by. a
we'll directed shot recently given him