The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1899-06-15
ANOTHER FRAUD EXPOSED.

ANOTHER FRAUD EXPOSED.
The people of Astoria will not believe
,ha; the H.llsboro Independent can he
discouraged or deceived in the important
public question * has lately taken up
by the disingenuous showing attempted
by the oregonian yesterday against the
reliable and absolutely unbiased gov.
ernment statistics collated by the indie
penden;. and which unmistakably prove
that the commerce OF the Columbia river
is being rapidly transferred TO Puget
sound under the narrow policy Of Port.
land people and the handicap Of exc
eessive freight rates charged on the down
grade haul Of Interior export products 10
Portland The Astorian asks the Inde-
pendent to continue its investigation Of
this question. Among other things
which & may discover will. be the
utter falsehOod OF the oregOnian's pre-
tense that the excess OF duties collected
on foreign imporSs at Portland over
Puge; sound is evidence Gsproying the
decline OF Columbia river commerce. The
independent will find on examination al
the office OF the Portland collector that
MORE THAN ONE HALF THE GOODS
UPON WHICH DUTIES WERE PAID
AT PORTLAND WE'RE ACTUALLY
IMPORTED AT TACOMA AND SENT
ON THE RAILWAY AND IN BOND TO
THAT CITY. YET THE oREGoNIAN
WOULD HAVE THE FIGURES IT
PUBLISHES CONSTRUED AS EvI.
pESCE AGAINST THE DECLINE OF
PORTLAND AS A SEAPORT, WHEN.
RIGHTLY UNDERSTOOD. THESE
FIGURES ABSOLUTELY PROVE THE
CONTENTION OF THE INDEPEND-
ENT THAT PORTLAND IS MADE
oUATELY SERVING HER ASSUMED
FUNCTION AS THE SEAPORT FOR
THE COLUMBIAN BASIN Another
thing 10 which the Astorian would in
vite the attention Of the Independent IS
the refusal Of the government 70
land the Oregon volunteers on their
return from Manila at the seaport Of
Their own sta:e, where they might first
receive the plaud!ts Of their kinsmen
and proud fellow citizens, while the
Washington troops will be sent
from Manila by one Of the largesl trans
ports in the service direct 10 Seattle and
Tacoma. Here again the Oregonian has
been guilty Of garbHng its own news
service and suppressing facts in the in
terest OF covering up Por;land's def
cheney as the seaport Of Oregon. Let
the independent search the columns Of
Yesterdays Oregonlan for a dispatch
from General Otis explaining the reason
why he would not permit The Oregon
troops to return by way OF Portland.
The Independent viii look in vain, but
the Astorian got the dispatch in the
same regular Associated Press report
,ha: was aid down for the Greg nian.
That paper printed one or two earlier
reports on the subject, received before
the transports bearing the oregon troops
had departed from Manila, but It bodily
suppressed the official explanation from
General Otis TO the department at WASH
ington as 10 the reason why he mad or
dered the Oregon troops landed at San
Francisco. Here is the dispatch as
printed in the Astorian and every other
member Of the Associated Press through.
out the world yesterday morning but the
oregonlan;
WASHINGTON, June 13-Major Gene
eral Otis has cabed that the Oregon reg.
iment was On the transports Senator and
Newport, together with the signal corps,
and the sick and wounded and others 60
ing to the United States. HE SAID IT
WOULD BE DANGEROUS TO SEND
A TRANSPORT LARGE ENOUGH TO
CARRY THE REGIMENT UP THE
COLUMBIA. and also that the Orego-
mans were almost unanimous in their
desire to return by way Of San Francisco.
The department cabled him 10 use his
own judgment in the matter, so the regl.
ment will come direct to San Francisco.
What does the Independent think OF
this comment on the seaport facilities OF
the great seaboard state of oregon?
Isn't II a nice statement to be flashed
all over this country and Europe? Dan
gerous" to send ships to Portland? OF
course It is, and General OTIS knows IT
from his former residence near Port.