The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1901-07-17
A COMMUNICATION

Editor Daily Astorian: In your issue
ot July note with interest the com
munlcation Of our fellow iuwnsman. Mr..
T. O. TruIlngrr. regarding expenditures
on the Columbia river. am surprised
that anyone In Astoria would take such
a stand and want the upper Columbia
closed TO navigation. | believe II Mr.
Trullugrr was 20 iake a trip 20 The
Dalles ana investigate the conditions
hr would retute some u the arguments
which he advanced
Surely neither he nor anyone else can
say that /, is ~ NJ benefit 20 have an
open river from the mouth oi the Co
lumOia 60 rs headwaters. believe that
So should uni,e 70 accomplish that pur-
pose, and ,hat no obstacle or 0bstruc-
tion should be placed In the way II
such appropriations for the upper river.
The great relief that the shippers and
producers have had since The Cascade
locks have been IN operation IS a potent
argument Tor the extension Of river ma
v.gauon 10 the headwaters. Thousands
Of tons " freigh, have been hauled by
boa, from the Washington side Of the
Columbia river since The completion Of
the locks, our rivers open to navigation
allows and fosters competition. Natur-
ally the rates of transportation viii be
reduced, As has been proven.
There are thousnds ot tons OK wheat.
thousands OF horses. cattle ana sheep
from and TO points that the railroads do
not reach. Mr. Trulhnger's argument
ma, the river is blocked at certain sea-
sons by ice ana rendered unnavigable
at others by reason OF treshets does not
vitality anect the situation. other rivers
improved by the Federal government
have the same conditions to contend
with, yet their value is not impaired.
The open river Is what We want, and
when We have that from the headwatrrs
TO the tidewater, we will have boats
plying the entire distance and rates will
Of necessity be reduced.
The Inhni Empire demands and is
Justly entitled to an open river No,
so very long ago the railroads were
temporarily unable to handle any traf- !
fic because OF disastrous washouts !
along the line, and the only method Of .
Transporting products for the time be- |
ing was by water, This may happen |
again and there should be an outlet |
available, Otherwise the entire region |
will be under the dominance of one cor
portatloa. Mr., Trullinger asks how a
river can be Of benefit to people from
80 to 100 miles distant from IT, and he
also states that the river does not pene-
trate one-iifth Of the Inland Empire.
Does he know that producers. farmers
and others haul their wheat and wool
and drive their stock from 30 to 100
miles to get the advantage of lower
rates by water transportation than
could be obtained from the railroads
which are often within easy distance?
Farmers llve.ng along the line of the
Columbia southern branch to Shaniko
haul their wool many miles distant to
points on the river because of the diff
ference in rates,
1, will be the same thing with farm
'rs ana stockmen clear to the head
waters ofOthe Columbia as soon as we
have an open river, II is possible that
Independent railroads could be built
penetrating the productive districts ter
at the river points, thus af-
'ordlng cheap transportation and inde-
1endence of the big railroad systems.
There are tons Of wheat ferrled across
he river above the dalles in order to be
shipped and the ferrlage would be rem