The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-10
CALIFoRNrA's GLORY GONE.
Struggling in Nonopoiy's GrIp-SettieI
Turning to the Sound.

Turning to the Sound.
Judge and Mrs. J. Il. Lewis returned
home on Sunday night after spending the
winter in California. They are both in
excellent health, and are glad to be among
their Old friends again. The Judge returns
as full of enthusiasm for the Sound coun-
try as ever, and talked at length of its adj
vantages over California in an interview
with a PoST-INTELLIGENcEg reporter. He
said:
Though engaged our births in the sleeper
several days ahesa. was almost too late. The
cars were full. ami thrce-iourths of the people
were coming to the sound. Through the eoun-
try districts California /. looking we'll. They
are going 10 have an immense grain crop. This
fruit crop is slightly frosted, but is not much
damaged, and will 10 large. The grape crop il
frosted and will not be Il fun one, and the
oranges are frost-bitten. as you have probably
observed. The hay crop is large, and they were
harvesting when we left
San Francisco is omparatively duh. Its
southern trade has been taken away by the
Santa Fe, which is driving the Los Angeles busi-
ness to the East and it has lost the northern
trade since the building of the northern trans
continental lines. The Southern Pacific owns
California north of Los Angeles. 1t gives the
Santa Fe traffic arrangement on through
freight, but not on local and it owns the lines TO
the north, south and cas- / told the people
down there that IL such state of affairs existed
up here we would subscribe the money to build
a competing line in one night. But San Fran
cisco has not had to struggle into existence as a
city by the enterprise aud energy Of its citi-
Zens: 1t became city In spite of them. They
can't get a competing road without building to
Salt LAKE, where they would strike the Union
Pacific and the Denver IL Rio Gran1s
and L DO not think the present movement
is making much heedway. It can't go unless
men OF capital in San Francisco put up q con-
siderable amount OF money-enough to bond it
on. They claim TO have put up 100000, but
II you could get 20 the bottom of il, you would
ind that very little has been put up. II they
would put up SS,O00000 to 100000 in San Fran
cisco they cnGid build ii, as the Union Pacific
and Denver d Rio Grande would help them.
They have been trying 10 get the santa Fe in,
but it is no nearer than Mojave have reached
the conclusion that it lies in the hands OF fifteen
or twenty people whether the competing line
goes or not aud If they build they will have 10
put it out of the reach of the Southern Pacific
That corporation owns the state of California
politically and commercially and majority of
the rich men are interested, directly or ir-
directly, in the maintenance of its monopoly.
Yet there are many property-owners who are in
terested In securing competition; their tenants
cant pay the rent on their business blocks. Yet
in the face of these adverse circumstances the
savings banks are prosperous and have deposits
amounting TO 500, 100000.
Many people in California are looking to the
north-the men of moderate means particularly;
the men OF wealth only come up here for in
vestment poor man cannot settle in Cali
fornfa. There is no government land to take
up, and land Is all owned in large tracts. II a
nan buys ten acres to make an orchard it costs
him 500 TO $3.50 an acre. and he will have TO
spend $50 an acre TO plant aud cultivate
IL for two years. He will get moth
ing Off of it practically for five years.
and in the mean time ne has got to build
u house and live; and what is he going to live
onf A man has got to have 5000 TO go 10 Cali
iornia and grow fruit. When he gets ten acres .
bearing he has good living, but how
many men have 5000 TO start with? In the
orange belt he has To irrigate. His land will
cost $500 acre with water on, 1t will cost 500
an acre TO plant and cultivate it and get his
trees to growing in two years, and IL will be
seven years before il gets to good bearing. He
can't buy any land in good bearing for less than
Si.oJO an acre. though good acreage orchard
Will pay interest on 5000 to $1,000 acre. The
consequence is that the people who are staying
there are nearly ali IN easy circumstances and
the poorer people are coming North. Every
thing is done OH a large scale aud by machinery
with very few men. There IS no demand for
labor except during the harvesting and fruits
picking season. Alter that the country is full
of tramps.
Here Is the country for energetic people. The
people are just finding out that there is not u
finer country on the continent for apples. pears,
cherries and straw berries, particularly on the
islands, and you can get hand there for SD to
so an acre. California strawberries nowhere
beside ours We Can grow a better peach in tho
Yakima, Wenatchee and Walla Walia country,
than in California, though the crop
Ia uncertain account OF the frost,
which will nip the fruit about every seven
years. The people do not know what a good
fruit country this is. The Yakima peach should
be picked ripe ous afternoon aud delivered here
for breakfast next morning. You can't get Cali.
fornia peaches IN less than three or four days
after they are picked, and, they will not keep
over thirty-six hours If picked ripe, they have
TO To picked green. But peach, in order to
have the best flavor, should be picked ripe, and
therefore we should have Yakima peaches here.
The finest apples in the country grow on 0rcas
and the other islands, better than in the william
cite valley, while in California they can't be
grown at ali. Wo hardly ever get any of them
here, for they all 90 TO Victoria: they seem to
command better price there. Our apples
come from WILDLY island or the Willamette
valley. We ought TO be shipping fruit to this
city from the islands, the Walla WelIa, Yakima
and Wenatchie country; We should have done
so long ago If the freigh rates had been moder-
ate aud the railroads would bring it through by
fast night trains.