The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1892-02-06

l
grant from the general government
from Wallula, Wash, to the mouth oi
tho Willamette, over which the COM
pany had failed to construct foot OF
road, the Portland board of trade con-
vened in solemn council and passed
resolutions requesting congress not to
forfeit this land At that time she
expected to be the great transconti-
mental termini of the railroads leading
60 the north Pacific coast, and an open
river, forfeiture of unearned lands
were antagonistic to her interests; but
"cbange came DER the spirit of her
dreams," and the n. P. r. r. had its
outlet on Puget Sound. Then she
looked to the "great river of the
west" and endorsed the action of
Eastern Oregon for liberal appr'pria-
tions for the Cascade locks and other
improvements to the navigation of the
| Columbia, But we would be willing
to forgive and forget these acts, if
| to day she manifested an unselfish in
terest in building up and developing
the resources of the entire state; but
this Is not the fact. Last summer
when the press of the interior were
loudly clamoring for an extra session
of the legislature for an appropriation
to construct the portage railroad from
this city to Cello. Portland was
apathetic in the matter, and her busi-
ness men even contributed funds for
the construction of the road on the
Washington side. But, by reason Of
being an inland seaport, an incon-
venience has been suffered by the me-
tropolls, and now she is urgent in de-
manding a special session. This de-
mand is explained by the following
in an editorial In the Telegram of
yesterday:
The ship Scottish Isles, if we are correctly
informed, arrived in Astoria few days ago
under charter, her time being nearly up,
but having eighteen hours to get to Port
land and comply with Its contract. OF
course it wanted to come. and come at once,
but there was no boat there to bring it up.
This is a damaging and disastrous fact to
mention, and if we were running paper on
the Sound as those people run them. 1T
might not be done; but we are running a
paper that tells '.the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the TRUTH" commercially
as well as politically.
For years we were at the mercy of pilot
trust at Astoria. By hard work, and with
great labor, the state got rid OF that, and
put the business in the hands of the Union
Pacific Railroad Company, quite naturally
thinking that its own corporate interests,
being identical with those of the state. would
be sufficient to protect Columbia river COM
merce; but it has been delusive hope
The people of the state, during the last fall
and this winter, have lost many tens of
thousands of dollars because they were at
the mercy of this penny -wise.and-pound-
foolish corporation.
What are we to do? Nothing, but to
suffer this loss, damage and disgrace for
another season, when the exports and i'm
ports will be far above those of the past
year, unless the governor, as the peoples
friend, which we are sure he is at heart,
will convene the legislature and give us re-
lief.
To benefit Portland-on- Wallamett |
this special session must be called and
the people taxed to furnish river SER
vice from astoria to a point more
than hundred miles in Che. interior.
1t will make little difference to pro-
ducers in the Inland Empire whether
the Scottish Isles or any other ship |
can reach Portland if she can enter
the mouth of the Columbia. With
boats on the middle and lower river |
the producers of Eastern Oregon can
load any ship with wool or wheat as
easily at Astoria as at Portland, and
at as cheap rates.
But the selfishness of this call for
special session is very clearly evinced
in the following paragraph from the
same article to which reference has
been made:
By converting the legislature
in the early spring, he will have it together
at a time when every member will want to
get back home and at work; they will not
stay there at this season, and waste any
time at So day. There Is no danger of
long session. But few days session. even
if The Dalles portage read is not touched
though we would be in favor of handling
that also-would be worth at least quarter
of a million dollars to this state.
Southern and Eastern Oregon are
expected to second this request for a
special session for the benefit of the
webfoot seaport, and matters of vital
importance to the vast region of coun-
try east of the Cascades are to be ;g-
nored. We do not believe Governor
Pennoyer, if he deemed it inexpedient
to convene the legislature to relieve
the producers of the richest portion of
the northwest, will do it at the behest
of few capitalists in Portland. A
special session is very urgent for an
appropriation for the portage railroad,
which will relieve region of country
which is an empire in extent; but not
for the purpose OF building up an in
land seaport.