The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1896-01-18
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SATURDAY. JANUARY ls, 1896
WHICH. SHALL IT BEf

That the canal and locks at the Cas-
cades will be completed, so far as to
admit the passage of boats, at an early
date the coming spring, is now almost
an assured fact. When this great work
is completed The Dalles will, from its
position at the head of navigation on
the Columbia river, favors which ma.
ture has bestowed upon it, become the
great distri buting point for the Inland
Empire, and thereby receive some
impetus toward growth and prosperity.
Through these natural advantages,
business will be stimulated, and the
population will increase justin proper
tion to the number of people that will
be required to transact this increased
business. Too. the city may experience
a slight boom through people being
induced to invest in real estate for
speculative purposes, anticipating an
advance in values from natural causes,
but this will be spasmodic unless some
thing more is done than to sit idly and
wait for prosperity to come to US.
In order that The Dalles shall reap
full benefit from having an open river
to the sea, which will insure to it ter
minal freight rates both east and west,
more industries than now exist must
be instituted. In short, employment
must be furnished for more people,
and the question of how this can be
done is one which confronts the peo-
pie today. 1t is question of whether
The Dalles shall remain a place of
1000 or 5000 inhabitants, or whether it
shall in a few years grow to city of
10000 or Is, 900 people, and become the
great manufacturing center of the
northwest. It possesses every natural
advantage to become the latter. Sit
uated as it is, in the heart of vast
agricultural and stock-raising section,
with abundance of cheap water power
to be utilized, lands that can be se-
cured for building purposes at reason
able rates, climate that cannot be
surpassed, it possesses every requisite
for becoming the Lowell of the west.
Were the spindles for converting it
into cloth located in the city, the wool
from half million sheep would come
here to be woven. Had we the mills
to make it into -four, the millions of
bushels of wheat which find market
abroad would stop here and be con-
verted into bread stuff, and the bran
and shorts be fed to beef and mutton,
thus attracting the product of the sur
rounding ranges to this center. Had
we large fruit canning establishment,
the products of the orchards through
out the country would be placed in
tins here, instead of being forced Upon
the market when fruits can be had
from every other section of the conti-
nent, and instead of our local dealers
handling fruits put up in San Fran
cisco and Chicago. their shelves would
be adorned with home product.
More than these industries mentioned.
all the wagons, carriages, plows. har-
rows and seeders used by the farmers
in the interior should be manufactured
here.
The possibilities of The Dalles are
unlimited. It can become the manu-
featuring center OF the Northwest, sup
porting vast population, or it can re-
main simply the shipping point for the
Inland Empire. Its destiny rests with
the people who are here today. Upon
them depends what The Dalles shall
or shall not become. Whether they
shall llreap the full benefit which nature,
(aided by the United States govern.
ment in constructing the canal and
locks has bestowed upon them is in
their hands. One manufacturing in
dustry inaugurated how will be follow
ed by others. All that is needed is a
beginning. There is sufficient capital
in the city and the citizens possess the
requisite enterprise, if it were turned
toward manufacturing, to set hundreds
of wheels turning and attract thous-
ands of immigrants. Will they exert
their energies in this direction and be-
come the most prosperous people in
the state? Manufactures will increase
the population, and an increased pop
ulation will bring prosperity. The
commercial club can find abundant
and profitable work on which to exert
its energies if it viii take up the matter
of encouraging manufacturing in The
Dalles.