The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-05-01
FOR A COMMON POINT.
City Council Feets in Special Session to
Pass a Traffic Resolution.

The city council met In special ses-
sion last night and passed the follow
ing resolution;
Resolved. That we view with alarm
the inactiOn OF the Union Pacific sys-
TEN in the matter Of providing ships
OF the heaviest draft for line between
the Orient and the mouth OF the Co
lun.bia, while the lines most interested
In Seattle and San Francisco are build
ing such ships with the greatest speed
to catch that greatest OF the worlds
commerce.
Resolved, That We fear railroad
combination has been formed to d.
vert all the Oriental traffic from ma
ture's highway along the Columbia
water levels, to the common injury of
Astoria and Portland and to the great
loss OF all the producers of this great
basin. We believe. too. this combina-
ton is based on Portland's hostility
TO making Astoria the seaport and
would fall as soon as that hostility
ended.
Resolved, That extension Of the
Union Pacific system TO Astoria, by
granting to this port the common JUS
tice Of common point, with Sound
ports, would secure to the Columbia
river Its rightful share of that ORR
entail commerce. and would, at the
same time. by means Of this first-class
cheap-charter port. add millions Of
dollars annually to the value Of the
exports Of this basin. TO the general
benefit Of all the lwellers therein.
Resolved, That Portland and AS
tOria are mutually interested in max
ing Astoria the seaport Of this basin.
Astoria can never be the rival Of Port
land for her local trade, as a little
reflection will show. Nature has pro-
vlded that the local trade Of the for
mer shall be west, and OF the latter
east, OF the Coast range. 1t so hap
pens that trade upstream from Port
land would have extra freight and pas
senger expense over a continuous line
TO Astoria, while rival roads to Puget
sound would always make Seattle and
Tacoma common points with Portland.
In this way, while the Sound cities, as
the centers OF Oriental imports and
exports, would be Portland's rivals in
the Inland Empire, Astoria could not
be such. At the same time, exports
at this low-chartsr port would add
millions of dollars annually to the
pockets of the Columbian producers,
who would trade in Portland. Con-
centratlng the Oriental imports and
exports here would mass the immigra-
ton of the east on this basin, more to
Portland's growth and increased values
than to Astoria's, and would insure
to Portland (through her other great
suburb-Oregon City u prompt control
Of the manufacturing trade Of the
Orient, all to the end Of making Port
land the chief city of the Pacific coast
at the same time that Astoria would
become. as Nature designed, the chief
seaport OF Western America.
Resolved, That We submit to the
people of Portland these views Of the
mutuality Of interest between the two
cities in the great harbor at the mouth
Of the Columbia and invite their at
tention to a serious consideration Of
the same, and to the Importance OF
cooperating with Astoria in procuring
the Union Pacific system, according
to its interest on natural grounds, to
make Astoria a common point on all
exports Of the Columbian basin-giv-
ing, II desired, to Portland a pro rata
differential according to distance and
expense of construction and mainten-
ance.
Resolved, That we confidently rely
on the A. & c. R. R.. as our own rail-
road, to do all in Its power to aid In
securing the needed common point on
these Just lines.
Resolved, That all the press Of this
basin be and they are hereby invited