Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-02-22
FOR A COMMERCIAL CLUB.
Strong Article be Leading Citizen Uur-
the Establishment OF Such All Orgsn-
ization.

the Establishment of Such an Orgari-:
ization.
EDITOR GAzETTE:-I notice
there is movement among the
business men of the city to get
together and form some kind of a
business organization, of a per-
manent nature such as a board of
trade, Or commercial union or
something of that nature, and
with a view to having a medium
through which the business in
terests of the community can ex-
press themselves On questions
affecting the welfare of the COM
munity. I understand that a
meeting of this character has been
arranged for to meet at the court
house next Saturday evening at
half past seven o'clock, and
that the business men generally
have set this date in mind, and
are ready to meet and make an
effort toward perfecting such an
organization.
1t may not be out Of place for
a remark or two on this subject,
just to remind us of some un-
pleasant facts. A few years ago
there was a ''boom'' movement
which more or less affected the
entire coast. Beginning in Los
Angles, it worked its way to
Seattle. Nearly every town On
the coast felt this boom movement
more or less. Corvallis felt it;
felt it far more than her share,
for we not only had the stimulus
of the boom fever, but also aspira-
tions built on transcontinental
railroad hopes; which time only
showed to be visionary. I think
fully quarter of a million dol
lars of Benton county capital
was invested in Puget Sound, |
Astoria, Portland and Yaquina |
Bay real estate, on which invest
ments probably not one-tenth !
ever came back.
We all know the results of this
wild speculative tendency. Many
of us feel it yet. Many have
sold out and gone, many more
have been sold out and gone, and
we still have with us the land
and good healthy town
healthy because this speculative
tendency has died out; and more
so because the citizens and bust
ness men who have survived the
hard times of 1884 are apply
ing very different methods in
their business affairs, than those
methods in vogue before that
crisis.
What the community needs
more than any thing else now
is population. Population of the
right sort, people who can come
here, buy our land, and make
those lands productive of wheat,
hay and diversified farm products,
and who will raise more sheep,
hogs, poultry, cattle, and every
other income-producing commod-
ity which our climate and soil SO
abundantly yields under the
hand of intelligent industry.
But how can we reach people
to so populate this surrounding
country? How can we invite
them here, and when they come
how are we to treat them, and
what are the conditions they will
meet respecting the acquisition of
property? Certainly there are
lands in this county for sale, the
best of farm lands, and at very
reasonable prices, but how may
incoming people know of this?
Travelling men report that there
is a strong immigration into the
state. For instance, one railroad
hasa rate of $28 once week from
Nebraska points to Oregon, and
this has induced a great influx of
people; one train, said to carry
above 1900 new homeseekers
arrived in Portland this present
week. Now, how are we meet
ing these incoming people? Sim
ply not meeting them at all.
Other communities have business
mems organizations and these
boards get up descriptive matter
and see that it is placed on the
trains bearing these homeseekers,
and as result the new settlers
go to their communities. They
do not know that Corvallis and
Benton county exist, for the rea-
son that these places are not rep
resented. It is not necessary
that descriptive matter be of the
boom order, nor that incoming