The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-12-24
How Thoughtless Words Are
Taken Up by Others.
mo SUCH WORD AS FAIL"
Doubling ThOmases Cannot Prevent
Building of Railroad, But May
Detain Business Revival.

A prominent business man of Portland,
who was in Astoria the other day. and
who has large real estate no dings here,
in speaking Of the future of the city and
the near approach Of the time when her
railroad would be completed said to o
group Of gentlemen:
.'You do not any of you realize how
great has been the opposition TO the con-
struction OF the Goble road, In certain
quarters, not thousand miles from As
toria. And there are many people yet
within your own limits who not only do
not believe that the road viii ever be
completed, and that Mr.. aHmmond is on
" fooling you, but they have not hesitate
ed to say so abroad, thus helping to keep
up spirit Of distruct which Is acting
against your town and all Of your best
interests.
Now, this spirit Is all wrong. Even II
you do not believe In your own heart IN
the success of the present scheme, In
view of past dlsappointments, or for any
other cause, do not tear down your own
nest and help bring about q state of af-
fairs that under ordinary circumstances
might defeat the best laid plans Those
of whom speak are among the subsidy
and right-of-way donors and ought above
all others to be loyal to the cause in
which which we are all interested. It is
folly, of the sheerest kind to be q croalk-
er and pesslmist on this subject, as MAJ
ters now stand. I am in correspondence
with Mr. Walter c. Smith, who left here
some two months ago to go East for the
purpose of dlsposing Of large block of
land and interesting capital in manufac-
lures He succeeded in getting up syn
dicate of four, with the requisite amount
of capital, and 1t only needed the fifth,
to complete the deal, That fifth name
was promised and all seemed well, but
Just at the last moment the Boston gem
tleman in question received word from
prominent railroad man In Portland that
the Astoria railroad would never be
built, and the whole scheme was a fake.
OF course Mr.. Smiths syndicate fell
through.
1.-THE other day one Of your leading sub
sidy subscribers was In Portland and told
n number Of prominent business men that
he had no faith in the road ever being
finished--that It would be bought Off or
the contractors fail, as had been the case
so many times before. This kind Of talk
only puts off the time Of your coming
revival OF business--it cannot prevent the
building OF the railroad. Another argu-
ment used. Is that even II the road is
built connection will be refused with the
o. r. and N. to the wheat he'ds of East
ern oregon, This is an other fallacy abb
surd on the face of It, Major McNeill, the
receiver Of that road, has stated publicly
through the columns OF the Astorian. that
they were In favor Of the Astoria road
wanted to see 1t built, and expected to do
business with 1t. Even should ne take
a contrary stand (which he Is not likely
to dol the matter is in your hands and
your cannerymen and lumbermen have
only to refuse to give to such a line
any of your east bound tonnage unless
they give you the westbound, and they
viii soon exchapge business with the Go
ble road.
Talk OF failure at this late date Is
folly of the worst kind. Mr.. Hammond
who is himself millionaire and has built
ND a large number OF most successful
enterprises without ever making failure,
has associated with him in this undertake
ing, to my personal knowledge, such well
'cnown railroad capitalists as G. p. Hun
.'ngton, OF the Southern Pacific, Russell
Sage, the Morgans and vanderbrlts OF
New York, who one and all have long
ago learned the lesson which King Riche-
leu taught In the words: Fall in the
bright lexicon Of youth there is no such
word as fail!"