The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1893-07-29
WHERE IS THE BLAME?

The Oregonian, of yesterday, in
commenting, editorially, upon the SEN
sation on our streets last Friday after
noon, says:
eThe North Dalles scheme is again
recalled by an inciden< at The Dalles
last Friday. o. D. Taylor was agent
or promoter of that scheme. He is a
Baptist preacher, is principal of an
academy at The Dalles, and went east
to exploit the North D4lles scheme,
carrying with him the endorsement of
the board of trade of the city and let
ters from the principal business men.
Upon these representations quite a
number of persons invested money in
North DalIes, and. some came out from
the east expecting employment, but
not finding it. The result was disap-
pointment and loss. Last Friday
Taylor was assaulted on the street by
a young woman who asserted that a
friend of hers had not been paid in full
for her services as teacher in Taylor s
academy, though the assertion appears
to he without foundation. 1t is re-
ported, however, that there was gen
eral approval of the assault, since
Taylor is unpopular, and even odious,
or account of his connection with the
North Dalles scheme. And yet in
that scheme he had the support and
approval of the people of The Dalles,
and could have done nothing without
1t! Public opinion now is against him
on a matter in which he not only had
its support, but in which it was his
chief capital. A great many persons
have had similar experiences with
public opinion"
Our esteemed cotemporary is in er-
ror in many of its conclusions, and
doubtless has been misled by inter
ested parties. The young lady's claim
against o. D. Taylor has been sub
stantiated by the letters published in
our columns yesterday, and her verac-
ity has never been questioned. While
it was true that o. d. Taylor was en-
dorsed by some of our business men
in his scheme of "Grand Dalles' alias
"Nor Da.les"-even in a measure
by the board of trade-there were
very many others who publicly de-
-nounte it as a swindling operation
from the first, and considered the
originator as disgracing the Christian
ministry and unworthy to be at the
head of any public educational insti-
tuition. The TINES MoUNTAINEER, at
different times, stated that the sup
port of such nefarious boom would
react against this city, and 1t was gen
orally understood to be one of the i'm
pelling motives for starting the Chrom-
icle that the MoUNTAINEER was work
ing against the best interests of the
community in showing up, in its true
light, the gigantic fraud on the north
side of the river. But Portland lis
not blameless in this matter, for 0. d
Taylor carried with him east letters
of recommendations from some of the
business firms of the metropolis and.
we believe, was endorsed by the
state board of agriculture. But the
Inflated project has completely col
lapsed, and now the unoccupied shells
of the shoe factory, planning mill and
printing office at "Grand Dalles" stand
as monuments of duplicity, deception
and fraud. The thing has had its day,
and it Is to be hoped that no more un-
fortunate persons in the east will be
duped into investing their last dollar
in real estate in the second Duluth on
the north bank of the Columbia river.
1.-The mills of God grind slowly;
But they grind exceeding small.