The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-10-15
4 HARMLESS VOTE.

When the CHRONICLE first learned
that Mr.. Bogue was appointed to advise
the Portland chamber of commerce as to
the best route for a portage railroad
around the Dalles we antipated nothing
different from what has happened. The
simple fact that all Mr.. Bogues reputed
interests lie in another direction rem
dered him about as fit to pass an impair
tial judgment on an effective measure
for opening the Columbia river as jay
Gould himself. We have no desire to
impeach the honesty of a gentleman we
have never seen, but can anyone blame
us for expecting no good advice in regard
to measure that would seriously affect
the interests of the Union Pacific when
we learned that report had it that the
company furnished the adviser with a
special car for the trip to The Dalles2
The report of Mr.. Bogue dismlsses the
line on the south side as unworthy of
serious consideration, alleging that for
much of the distance it would be within
the "limits of the Union Pacific road.
and at several points would practically
parallel that line And what if it
should? Admitting that the Union Pa
cific have been granted q right of way
200 feet broad does it follow that they
could not be compelled to surrender as
much as would be needed to build
another road when it could be proved
that the part needed is going to be put
to greater public benefit than the
Union Pacific is going to put it to? Be-
sides the same objection applies with
equal if not greater force to the line
recommended by Mr.. Bogue. The Paul
Mohr company owns the right of way
over the whole nine miles from the big
eddy to point opposite Cello, and
portage built there would necessarily
occupy, according to Mr.. Bogue himself,
at least half the distance of this right of
way Honors are therefore easy no mat
ter which of these two lines should be
adopted, while the Paul Mohr company,
anxious to sell its elephant to the cham
Der of commerce says, ''You have got to |
accept our proposition or face a lawsuit
for rEght of way" Then as to the cost
of the several lines. Leaving out the
Paul Mohr line and that surveyed by
Lieut.. Norton, Mr.. Bogue estimates the
line from Big Eddy to point opposite
Cello at $34z 900, and the line on the
Oregon side from a point below Three
Mile rapids to Cello at $4O0 600, or $53,- |
000more. The majority report referring
Sts the estimated cost of the road on the
Voc do |
made on basis of $4,000 per mile, cost
of construction, while the sane engineer
for piece of road on the Oregon side,
which, we are informed, is not much if
any more difficult of construction, esti-
osates the cost at Se5 900 psr mile This
as curious admission; very. Why
should road on the Oregon side, mot
more difficult of construction" than on
the Washington side, be estimated at
~ 200 mile more? If the one on this
side is no more difficult of construction
than the other, let the estimate be the
same and this would reduce the Oregon
road to 1928 900, or $24,0 900 cheaper than
any of the four proposed routes, and yet
the chamber of cummerce voted an APP
proval of the Paul Mohr scheme that is
estimated to cost $640, 900 and be built
in Washington largely by Oregon money.
After all, however, a vote is harmless
thing and this particular vote especially
so. Portland capitalists are still too
much interested in the Union Pacific to
be very anxious for formidable oppo-
sition. Portland would like an open
river, that is, if somebody else would put
up the money to open it. The only hope
the CHRONICLE sees shead is IN the next
legislature. Let Eastern Oregon make
the question of an appropriation the
burning question of the next campaign
without respect to party anR Well get
it, for all the rest of Oregon will help us.
What grave issues meet us at every
turn of practical lifel They had an