The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-03-03
Declares Navigation Scheme WIN
Fully MateriaIlze.
A HARD KNOCK AT 0. R. & n.
Mr.. AOhr says the Company Is En-
deavOrinG to DiScredit His Enter
prise Tor Nercenary Reasons.

Columbia river portage road company
was IN Astoria yesterday. interviewing
the principal business men VI this city
concerning the prospective business
thnt may be offered to his road after
its completion.
Throughout the day. Mr.. Mohr was
In consultation with President Van
Duscn and other officers Of the cham
Der of commerce. and. he says. from
them succeeded IN eliciting important
information relative to the prospect.
iyc patronage " his road.
Mr. Moht returned 10 Portland last
night on the evening boat. Prior 10
his departure. he was scen by an As
t0rian representative. who questioned
him very closely as 10 the actual In
tentions Of the people behind the prop
osltIon ~ which he IL the leading rep
rpseniatiye.
Mr. Mohr's first reply 10 questions
presented indicated a conviction on his
part that the business men Of As
tora were Tuspiclous concerning the
good iaith Of the project, He said that.
although the company which he repre-
scnts, had every intention % carry
out the part laid out In their prospeo.
tua they had encountered much OBJ
struction through the dcrogatory re-
ports published in papers published
IN Northeastern Oregon.
These reports. said Mr. Mohr. have
been published with the deliberate
purpose OF lnjuring the standing OF
our company with the farmers and
business men at large.
There IL no doubt" said Mr.. Mohr
"that the .. Il. a ~ Company is be-
hind the principal obstruction that We
have been called upon to meet. They
have been employing agents through
out the territory through which our
projected lines win run TO discourage
every endeavor that We may make
TO push along our enterprise. As a
matter OF fact, this is nothing more
than business proposition on the part
os the Oregon Railway 4 Navigation
Company The company is In bonded
debt up TO It's ears, and does not hes
ltate To raise every conceivable OBJ
structIon to the establishment OF any
enterprise which is calculated 20 In
terfere with It's business"
The representative OF the Astorlan
took occasion TO put TO Mr., Mohr some
very pointed questions. To begin with.
Mr. Mohr vas asked II there was any
thing In the rumor that the company
of which he is the head genius was
organized for the purpose OF bringing
Jim Bill To- terms.
Il was explained, incidentally, that
many rumors were ailoat to The effect
that the business men OF Spokane were
behind Mr.. Mohrs enterprise purely
for the purpose OF establishing COM
mon. point frelgh; rates for the busi-
ness men OF Spokane.
II was further explained that ru-
NOR was atoat to the effect that as
soon as Jim Hin had been brought to
time and Spokane had accomplished
It's object the Mohr enterprise would
be abandoned. and that Astoria. re-
gardless of the amount OF money It had
pledged or put up to encourage and
promote the common point arrange
ments promulgated by Mr.. Mohr would
be left at the bottom Of the deep blue
sea.
Mr., Mohr, In reply to these repre-
sentatlons, stated that the company,
which he represented, had no such
Intentions.
TO begin with.' said Mr.. Mohr, "the
people who are behind this project
are not connected with the vital inter-
ests Of Spokane at all. To illustrate
this point. let me tell you that the
people who are behind this project are
only not business men of Spokane.
but to the contrary. are looking en-
tirely to other commercial points for
the revenue to be derived from their
capital.
"The personnel of the company, which
represent, is made up of seven law
yers, one retired banker and one
miner, All of these have been identi-
fed with the famous lie Roi mine,
which has turned such magnificent
sums into the pockets of its stock
holders.
These people are all business men
of the first water. and they are putting
In not only thousands but millions of
dollars In hard coin to back up their
Judgment as to the merits of the
investment as a business enterprise.
"The talk that has been made to the
effect that this Is purely mercenary
proposition, instiglted by the busl-
ness men of Spokane, is absolutely alb
surd. The men whose names / have
referred to, are not In this matter out
Of prejudice or an endeavor to injure
the standing or income Of the rail-
roads operating in the district affected.
They went into the lie Roi mine as
a business speculation; they made
money out Of the venture. They are
now investing this money in what they
consider a remunerative enterprise. If
they fail they, and not the farmers or
business men of the Columbia river