Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-02-04
The Special Message Prom the Gov
ernOr in Favor Of Free Rivers.


January 20, 1881.
TO the senate and house Of rep
resenatives Of the state Of Oregon;
The river and harbor committee
Of the house Of representatives al
Washington OH the fourteenth Of the
present month rejected the prOpUsi
tion 20 make recommendation for
bsAt railway at The Dalles Of the
COLUMBIA river, and unanimously
recommended that congress should
make an appropriation Of $43l 500
for u portage railroad along those
ebstructions. Tho Oregon legisla-
tive assembly has passed II joint re-
solution fayorlng an appropriation
for boat railway. The antagonism
between the joint resolution of the
Oregon Legislature and the recon-
mendations Of the congressional
committee having the matter in
charge, which It is TO be presumed
was inadvertent and unIntentlonal,
should at once be obyiated, 10y the
immediate psssage of a joint resolu-
ti0n by this legislative assembly,
uuanimous In both houses, urging
upon congress the great necessity of
making the appropriation recon-
mended by the committee. This
action Of such committee IN the un-
doulted result of It's consultation
with the l., =. engineer department,
and IL IL 10 be sincerely regretted
that our senatorial delegation has
seen III 10 interpose It's incXperienc-
ed judgment rather than follow the
suggestions aud recommendations
Of experienced engineers. lfthe re-
port of the board Of engineers made
two years ago had been acquiesced
In, rather than ahtagonized 10y our
senators, the appropriation for the
portage railroad could have easily
been made In the last river and har-
hOr bill aud such road could have
now been completed. This lcgisla-
ture has therefore u most impera.
'tlye dnty to perform, 1t should in
= ruct our senators to cooperate
with our representative In congress,
" lth the department of engineers,
with the river and harbor committee
of the house, aud with the demand
of the whole people of Oregon, In So
curing at this session an appropria-
tion for the building of portage
Edhoad. The scheme of boat rail-
way which practically is n scheme
t. delay the opening OF the Column
bia river for more than u third of a
century, should be discarded for the
practical scheme OF portage road
which will afford speedy aud endur-
iug reliei, The legislature of ore F.,
gon should hold up the hands of The /.
river aud harbor committee, bear |
ing the prutfcr Of aid, Instead of
sttiking them down. Let this APP .
/ lropriation he made, and MS report .
rd 10y the L. ;. engineers, the roaa .
,an be built In one year, aud thus, /
n, far as the obstmclious at the .
lalles of the columbia are concern
al. the river can he opened Io nayl,
putlm. This ID measure 81 the .
utmost Importance to Oregon aud .
la It's support, all desire OF personal
advantage or hope of party gain
shuuld be thrust aside, by the great
motive prompting all TO use every
,ndeavor TO persuade cougrrss TO do +.
ls plain duty to the people ~ Or,-
sou aud Washington by -peedily /
opening the Columbia river TO fee
,ommeroe. IL n the duty of the /.
h'deral government, aud not of the T.
state Io oIen Ihcgnrat thouaughtare
N Inter state commerce, and the
~ Oregon, Washington,
aud Idaho should in,p~nlivrly dc.
maud Of Il, la bchalf OF our groWlug
a,cessitle-. that such duty should he
performed,
SNLNIsIEW PENN0NER,
Governor