The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-01-05
WHAT is THE MATTER WITH
PORTLAND?

An editorial in yesterdays oregonian
says:
Norfolk. Va. is becoming a port OF
"some importance. Its shipments are
Increasing, as the country round about
sit slowly develops; but It is 50 over
'shadowed by Baltimore. which has the
advantage Of situation al the head Of a
great hay. which brings ships far into
the land. that it probably never will
become q great port. Baltimore's sit
-uation. moreover. has given that city
IAN extended railway system. and her
Importance is a striking illustration
-of the universal law OF commerce.. that
"ships viii always go inland as far as
1T IS practicable Otherwise there
would be great city at the capes OF
virginia"
In another item on the same page.
after quoting portion OF the decision OF
the United States supreme court in the
noted quadrant case. in which Astoria
Is referred 10 as a ''rort on the Paciee
ocean at the mouth of the Columbia
river" a distance from Portland Of
12SH miles, and being over 100 miles or
50 of beyond Forest Grove" the follow
ing comment is made:
Surely the hope is a parionable one
shat the supreme court had a clearer
vision Of the law in the case than il
had Of Portland's situation on the Col
''umbia. and the location of Astoria 100
miles or 50 OF beyond Forest Grove
''chief Justice Fuller. by whom the
opinion is written. should take a trip
10 Oregon. or buy a copy Of the Ore
-gonfan atlas"
II viii occur TO all who are scquaint-
ed with the respective locations Of Bal
timOre and Norfolk that somebody in
the oregonian Office is as badly in need
of little geographical instruction as
Chief Justice Fuller OF course the
worm E the bud OF the supreme court
opinion is Mr.. Justice Fullers unkind
reference to Portland as a town situ-
ated 12S miles away from the ocean.
while the point in the editorial is that
Portland. Ike Baltimore. Is also a
striking Illustration Of the universal
law Of commerce, that ships win always
go as far inland as practicable" Aside
from the question Of the existence Of
any such universal law Of commerce
as the Oregonian refers 10, the Astorian
believes the writer Of that article knows
quite as well as anybody that his at
tempt 10 liken Portland as an inland
seaport 10 Baltimore IS supremely ridic-
ulous. There is a vast difference be
tween Baltimore al the head Of a great.
deep inland sea, such as the Chesa-
peake really Is. in its relation with Nor
fOIk-a town almost as far in the wrong
direction as Baltimore is in the right
direction from the narrow confluence
Of that sea with the Atlantic ocean-and
Portland. up more than 100 miles OF
shallow and tortuous river navigation.
with the magnificent and deep water
harbor OF ASTORIA transrontinental
railroad terminal-and past which ships
have to be towed parallel with the rail-
road I2S miles, as Justice Fuller says.
in order to reach Portland. But 1t is.
Of course. no use 10 argue these ques-
tions with the oregonian; that paper.
50 far as this subject is concerned.
being a standing example Of the blind
who won't see and, besides, the point
we want TO make-not for the benefit Of
the Oregonian, but for unprejudiced
readers who study and thinks that
there is no such universal law as that
invoked by the Oregonian. To prove
this proposition we cite the following
extracts from an article written some
time ego by Mr.. A. A. Schenck, one
Of the best known engineers in the
United States, and leading interna-
tional authority on the science Of trans
portatlon. Mr.. Schenck says:
The advocates OF an inland location
have sometimes blinded their readers
to the question at issue by citing