The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1895-12-21
DANGERS AHEAD.

The apparent attempt of the South
ern Pacific to gain control of the Ore
pon Railwal and Navigation'company's
property, mention of which was made
yesterday, furnishes cause for alarm to
all sections of the Inland Empire east
of The Dalles. Sherman, Gillian,
Morrow, Umatilla, Union and Baker
counties are now at the mercy OF the
O. r. & N. Co., so far as the handling
of their freight is concerned, and
know from experience what it is to
depend upon single lille of road that
has monopoly of the carrying
trade; but what they have experienced
in paying exorbitant freights in the
past, is little compared to what they
would experience in the future should
the Southern Pacific gain control OF
the o. R. & N. property. California
and Southern Oregon furnish exam
pies of what it is to be at the mercy of
this most grasping corporation; that
has for its sole object of existence but
one principle on which it conducts
business-to charge all the tariff will
stand, leaving nothing of profit to the
shipper. So exhcrbitant has it been
in its freight charges where it has had
a monopoly of the carrying trade that
the merchants of Eugene found it
cheaper to ship their goods by steamer
to Yaquina Bay, then over the Oregon
Pacific to Corvallis and from there by
team to Eugene, than to ship over the
Southern Pacific. Both farmers and
merchants at interior points in Cali
fornsa have found their only salvation
was in returning to the primitive
methods of moving their products and
supplies to and from market, and only
a short time since teamsters were
hauling freight from Stockton to
Fresno for SO a ton less than the
Southern Pacific charged.
What this company has done in Sec
tions where it had the field to itself it
may be expected to do should it sue
ceed in securing control of the o. r.
& N. But the shippers along this line
are not in position that they can re-
sort to wagons and teams. The wheat
crops raised in the counties to the east
are too large and are too far inland to
be moved to a point where there |
are competition lines, hence the
farmers residing therein must rely on |
common carriers to move their prod
ucts, and in case the Southern Pacific |
accomplishes what seems to be its aim,
they will be at the mercy OF the worst
enemy to the producers OF the west.
Therefore it behooves them to fortify
themselves against impending dangers.
This they can do by seeing to it that
the Columbia river is opened to navi-
CATION. By whatever means it is open
ed it makes little difference to them,
whether by boat-railway, canal and
locks, or portage road, whether by the
federal government, the state, or. as a
private enterprise, but that it be open
ed is to them of vital Importance.
With prompt, energetic and concerted
action on the part of the people of the
Inland Empire, there is little questson
but government aid can be had to re-
lieve them from The grasp of any rail-
road company, by the opening of the
greatest waterway in the northwest
SO that their products may be foated
to the sea, and there never has been
time when such action was more fore
IDLY demanded than at the present. for
there are certainly impending dangers
ahead in case the o. r. & N. road
should fall into the hands of Mr..
company.