The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1899-10-10

scandalous manner This article was
Immediately pouneed on by the Ore
souian. not In defense OF Mr. seeley
and for the purpose Of correcting the
mis-statements made about the Column
bia river, but as club TO pound the
Astorian for its well-known advocacy
OF the Views held by Mr.. Seeley. Pass
ing over the Ledger's mlsrepresenta-
tions concerning Its own town, the Ore
gonian picked out a paragraph from
the article in which Astoria was a
bused. and used II as an excuse to
jeer the Astorian in the following man
ner:
What Here" (said the oregonianl
lis Tacoma newspaper, newspaper
OF Tacema--of Tacoma. on that inland
tideNay which Astoria has been boom-
ing as the channel OF commerce sure
TO supersede the Columbia river. unless
Portland shall remove to Astoria--here
is Tacoma newspaper telling Astoria's
newspaper that II is better to be pretty
far inland, provided that the ships can
reach you. than to be right at the
beached verge OF the great salt flood;
/ because experience has proved that the
/ greatest gain to the producer is the
condition that gives the short rail haul
and the long water haul Hence the
Tacoma newspaper tells the Astoria
newspaper that Puget sound and Port
land will not surrender this advantage
to Astoria Now since the Astoria
newspaper has so often asserted that
the Puget sound ports were TO throw
the Columbia river in the shade. unless
4 Portland should give up the effort TO
navigate the Columbia, this surely Is
the most unkindest cut of ALL"
Then the oregonian quotes, "verba-
tim. as it says, the Ledger's para
graph. as follows:
The argument that the Sound cities
and Portland must surrender this
ocean tonnage to the mouth Of the Col
umbia river Americas natural gate
way 10 the Orient" is as fallacious as
that free silver would bring prosperity.
In fact. the completion Of the railway
to Astoria has not benefited that city
a dcllar's worth. but quite the reverse.
II has not resulted In the grain Of Ore
gon and Southwestern Washington
coming to that port to De loaded, blt /.
has enabled citizens OF Astoria 10 run
into Portland to do their shopping, thus
decreasing the trade Of the Astoria
storekeepers, without any compensat-
ing advantages.
To this the Portland paper adds a
parting shot by saying
Further: The greatest net to the
producer will be secured by shipping
by the route that gives least rail and
most water transportation. The Orego-
, nian offers no comment. 1t leaves the
Astoria newspaper to chew upon this
and digest it"
The Astorian has become so used to
the Oregonian's filings that no attention
was paid at the time to this particular
exhibition Of malice. But the Tacoma
paper, stung by the impudent assump-
tion Of Portland's equality implied in the
Portland papers proffer to make COM
mon cause in a fight which has to do
seaport supremacy alone, turned on its
quondam friend and administered such
a blistering as will perhaps induce that
paper in future to either stand by it's
own state and community or let the
quarrels between coast cities alone. The
Ledger was not satisfied with one r.
buke to the Oregonian, but II hits the
Portland paper two hard blows in diff
fereut columns Of the same page. It's
castigations are administered in the
following language:
A morning paper Of Portland is
pleased to be merry over the truths
told in the Ledger regarding the claims
; Of Astoria as the future great port of
the Pacific. The Portland paper is ap-
parently delighted that the city on the
Willamette is taken into company with
Puget sound ports as being superior to
Astoria, and quotes that Puget sound
and Portland will not surrender" the
advantage Of the long water short rail
haul to Astoria. That is true, but II
does not follow that Portland will not
in time be forced to surrender a large
portion Of its present business not TO
Astoria, but to Tacoma because Of the
superior convenience and safety Of Pu-
/ get sound as compared with the Column
bia and the Willamette. Tacoma will
give the greatest net to the producer, ,"
as has been amply shown. Besides
this, with the rapid increase in the size
Of ocean going vessels, it will soon BE-
an impossibility for the largest and
consequently most profitable craft to
get up the river, while there is
TO limit to the water in Puget sound.
The Oregonian is in such good humor
with Tacoma and the Ledger because
OF the punctutng Of the Astoria bubble
by this paper that 1t will no doubt for
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