The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1893-08-04
A RUDE WAKENING.

ISdttlOad N~ollltauy auA VI GhS ui0i
chants of San francisco and this val
ley to establish closer trade relations
have aroused the Southern Pacific rail
road officials and wholesale merchants
of Portland from their morbid repose
| and self-suffcient attitude toward the
interior They affect little concern re-
garding the situation; but it is only too
plain that they believe their trade is
threatened. The S. P. railroad COM
pany were compelled to distort their
local freight schedule out of all SEM
blance to an equitable rate, as was evil
denced by Il reduction from Portland
to towns south Of Albany and an IN
crease OF the rate from Albany south
to an extent which justifies merchants
in hauling goods in wagons from Cor
wallis to Eugene. The Oregonian
claims that the original distance tariff
was reflective" and on this account
the O. P. company was enabled to
bring merchandise from San Francisco
and forward them 10 their destination
over the S. P. In order to perfect the
tariff the S. p. maie the changes as
stated. That they may be better pre-
pared to meet the efforts of the 0. P.
and the San Francisco merchants, the
S. P, at the instance of the Portland
merchants, instructed its agents i'll the
valley towns to make dill,gent inquiry
into the business affairs of the local
merchants to ascertain where they trade
and what rates of freight they are
| charged. Such facts as these are good
| evidence to the casual observer that
the situation is favorable to San Fran
cisco. Localities reached by the Ore
gon Pacific lines have always obtained
u higher price for wheat, oats and
other produce than others because they
had access to the San Francisco mar
ket, and this is the principal reason
why there is IL general desire to have
closer commercial relations with that
city. San Francisco appears to have
superior facilities for handling large
proportion of the products of the val
lev. In this connection it NAV be
proper to alludc to the fact that ever
since the Oregon Pacific reached Cor
Wallis, the central valley has been given
the benefit of competing rates, not
only between San Francisco and the
central valley. but between this section
and Portland as well. This should be
remembered in justice to the projectors
of the Oregon Pacific, and the deter
minatlon of the present management
to continue the policy on a more lib
eral basis should receive due consider
alton from the communities effected.
A writer upon the editorial staff of
the Oregonian makes an unworthy at
tempt to ridicule the visit to Oregon
of members of the San Francisco
board of trade, and states that they
made bad impression and were not
favorably received. This is true only as
regards Portland and the Southern Pa
cifc Railroad Co. The Oregonian's
local reports from cities visited by these
gentlemen show that they were enthu
siastically welcomed, and there is no
reason to believe that the object Of
their visit was not realized. The ami
mus Of the Oregonian is shown when
it says: "Their appearance did not in
dicate their prominence in business cir
cies. Nearly all were roughly clad.
Some were without overcoats, and the
wind played havoc with their light
garments. Others used rice mating
Cor valises and were dressed in cheap
Clothes" etc. The writer discoursed
in this vein to the length of half COL
umn. The portland merchant who
accompanied the excursionists from
Yaquina to Albany is given the credit
of saying that "their general character
was below the normal" bnt he evil
IDENTIFY furnished all the information
contained in the article. This mer-
chant thought the Bay City could never
regain its lost trade, but admitted that
'.if Portland wishes to retain its trade
it had better take advantage of the
present opportunity, for San francisco,
by making hard fight, might gain
portion of it.
As Mrs. John Kays was returning
from Corvallis on Wednesday to her