The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1895-12-02
COMMERCIAL HELERS AND
an OPEN RIVER.

The Columbia river is to be opened at
last. All doubt upon that point is dis
PEELED. The Travellers Protective Asso-
citation held a meeting in Portland Sat-
urday, and in the presence of invited
guests, and with all the formality recog-
nized as necessary upon such weighty
occasion, decided that the Instructions
that have been like a milestone around
the neck of the commerce of Eastern
Oregon, shall hn torn away and an i'm
prisoned people lIber tie,l. This much
decided upon. the commercial travellers
then PROCEEDED to 'resolute" how the
great task of opening the Columbia
from Pasco to the jetty should be accom-
plished. Although the question is one
that is bothering the minds of compe-
tent engineers-to say nothing of the
many people who are devoting much at
tention to the subject though not claim
ing technical knowledge-the CONNER
cial travellers were not in the least per-
turbed by the immensity of the task.
Upon the motion of Mr.. Alexander
Kunz-Mr. Kunz has been heard from
before on this subject-a resolution was
passed that since the government is go
everlastingly slow IN it's half-hearted en-
deavors to afford the asked-for relief,
the duty devolves upon the farmers of
of Eastern Oregon to remove the OBJ
structions in the Columbia.
Mr.. Kunz' plan, in brief, is to 'inter-
est the merchants, and especially the
farmers, in the countries adjacent to the
Columb bia river, and to get the mer-
chants to contribute and the farmers to
guarantee to furnish next fall, a certain
number of bushels of wheat to the COM
pany, according to the size of their re-
spective farms, conditions and liberality.
Mr.. Kunz thinks in this way l ZOO, 200
bushels of wheat would be subscribed,
which would represent capital of from
$500, 900 to $35O,OOO.
This, in brief, is Mr.. Kunz' plan. 1t
sounds well when spoken in meeting
but would prove most lamentably weak
when attempted to he put in practice.
Has this great government come to the
pass that it must call upon the farmers,
who are already struggling under the
weight of two or three mortgages, Ln-
wisely incurred perhaps, but still made
necessary where the soil was broken by
men who had no capital but their strong
arms? The farmers east of the Gas
cades have enough to do without usurp-
ing the functions of national government
and carrying on a system of internal
improvements, of a kind stupendous and
untried. The farmers are a patient
class, working hard and getting little in
return; but they will hardly consent to
Mr.. Kunz' plan, however well meant
may be the intention. The state of
Oregon has built a portage at the Cas-
cades, and the people of Eastern Oregon
and The Dalles have placed a line of
boats upon the river so the charge of
lacking in self-help cannot be made
against them.
In the second place the plan is utterly
impracticable. To whom shall the
farmers give this tribute? and what
guarantee is there that the trust shall
be honestly administered? To turn
over a million bushels of wheat to
Pohy VI lACA W ITO one,
would open up an avenue for dishonesty
which would undoubtedly lead to scan-
dal. The farmers of this section have
enough to attend to without seeking
more opportunity for draining their re.
sources. Should Mr.. Kunz' plan be put
in operation the national govern
ment would be calling upon the farmers
of the country to donate wheat for
the building of the Nicaragua canal.
Donation parties are popular in the
rural communities, where they are often
The means of paying a country ministers
salary, but the system is hardly applica-
BILE on larger scale. The commercial
travellers are considered great jokers,
but this latest one at the Portland meet
ing is the biggest they have ever per-
petrated.
Hon. w. R. Ellis, member of congress