The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-06-13
OGDEN GATEWAY AND OREGON.

OGDEN GATEWAY AND OREGON.
There is much more OF interest to
Oregon. than appears upoa the surfa,e,
In the announcement Of the opening In
Portland Of general Offices by the Rio
Grande Western and Short Line railways.
The personnel Of the appoiu,ees. all o.
whom are mea OF more ;haa Orliuary
ability. bespeaks in itself movemen, OF
extraordinary importance, For nearly ten
years the Union Pacific, formerly ia con-
troll OF the oregon Short Line and O. r.
& y railroads from Ogden. Utah. to
Portland, has HI aaritae 60 a7aG na-lik
business at that point with any OF the
trans Missouri lines At ogden the short
Line connects with the Unioa Pacific main
line. and with the D. * R G. Western.
The Rio Grande is the outlet from Denver
and Pueblo OF the c. b. & @. \. T. X :.
F.. Missouri Pacific, ana Chicago, Rock
Island aad Pacific, all OF which roads
have their ONT lines C Denver. rhe Union
Pacific has its own lire also from Kansas
City through Denver 10 Cheyenne, where
it taps its maia line from Omaha. Its
position has been for years that connecting
lines must deliver business to- and receive
from. it at the Missouri river-omaha or
Kansas City-so that it could have the
long haul and the greater percentage from
through freight and Passenger traffic.
Probably any other raiIroad similarly
situated would have made the same de-
mands. on the same principle, the Chi
csgo. Burlington and Quincy. srd Chicago
Rock island and Pacific, having their oNa
rails from Chicago and St Louis TO Dem
yer. via both Omaha and Kansas City.
aud the Sa-ta Fe and Missouri scis,.
from Chicago a-d St. Louis via Ka7sls
City, demanded the long haul for their
lines on Oregon business. The Union Pa F..
cihc, however, declined to receive any
North Pacific Coast business from these
lines at Denver or ogden on the percent +
age division Of through rates. and con 7.
sequently did its bust .ess exclusively With {
the c. .S y. w. and C. NJ & St. p. roads. .
On the other hand. on east and south
bound business, the Union Pacific refused
to pro rate with the Ogden and Dsavsr
lines on business originating in the north .
west, which shut oregon out Of many
Utah, Colorado, Texas, Kansas aad
southeastern points on its lumber, salmon,
fruit and ores, as against the products
of California.
a change has come over affairs through
the disintegrauou Of the Unioa Pacihc
System under receiverships. The Q. r.
& y. is under separate and distinctive
management and now the Short Line has
made decisive cut away from the parent
stem and it remains to be seen what the
benefits will be 10 Oregon. The two latter
companies have opened offices IN Port I
land, and are figuring on offices o. the
Sound, and declare their intendo- Of put
ting their Eastern connections into this
territory on an equal foou-g with AMI
other lines on both freight and pazsea-
ger business. How is thts to aid orc
gon? There are only 50 many people
in Oregon, AID they consume only SO
many goods from the East, and 10 only
so much travelling. The advent Of three
or four new railway lines into the coua-
try canlot possibly increase the cor
sumption and travel here beyond the 70
quirements Of the people. It only d.
vides the business between more roads,
and gives the traveller greater choice Of
routes when he goes East.
This is true, to certain extent, and
always will remain a principle in traffic
problems. But it must be remembered
that the great Northwest has only COM
menced to grow. 1t wants population,
for which it must draw primarily on the
East, and it wants the broadest field
possible in which to market its products
Fhis 1t has not had in the past It has
been dependent entirely on one or two
lines. The c. Z. & O., c. p. I. c. p, A.
T. & s. f., and Missouri Pacific. be-
sides the traHscontineutal roads, have ar
mics Of agents in both the feright and
passenger departments, in all of the great
Eastern and Southern centers-Boston,
New York. Buffalo. Philadelphia, BaId-
more, Washington. Cleveland Pittsburg,