Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1903-10-23
EDITORIAL COMMENT.

EDITORIAL COMMENT.
Some in etesting statistics ap-
pear in the late report of the Pa
ci6c Railroads. Take the rolling
stock that has been added to the
equipment during the last three
years, and we find that there has
been 337 new locomotives, hun
dreds of new passenger coaches,
and over fifteen thousand freight
cars. If the cars were strung to-
gether they would make train
128 miles long, while the new
locomotives would make a line
four miles long. Over sixty
million tons of steel have been
used duriAg the same time in
bridge building and track laying.
Nearly four hundred locomotives
have been changed from wood
and coal burners to oil burners.
The entire trackage in sandy re-
gions will be oiled to make the
road dustless. Improvement has
marked. the policy of the COM
pany ever since the Hartman
party came into control of the
roads, and we regret that this
policy is to be changed.
The edict has gone forth that
the Pacific railroads under the
Hartman system shall hereafter
devote their attention to earning
money instead of spending it.
No one can find fault with the
company in what it has done
during the last three years. A
total amount of more than ore
hundred and four million dollars
having been expended in better
ments, change of line and equip
ments during this short time.
Nearly $87, 900, 900 of this
amount has been spent on the
Union and Southern Pacific
alone, and over $8, 900, 900 on
the Oregon Short Line. The
new Salt Lake cutoff shertens
the road about sixty miles, and
this, with other changes ir
Strengthening track, and reduc-
ing grades will make a reduction
in the regular overland schedule
of seven hours. The bulk O
this Improvement benefits Cali
tornia alone, but Oregon. owes
vote of thanks to the company
for the the blessings that have
fallen our way.
x x
No event in recent years ha!
created more widespread com
ment than the course of the pres
ent French government in break
ing up the reactionary and unre
publican congregational school:
in France. That the wise ane
courageous action of the govern
ment, though bitterly opposed BY
the clerical enemies of republi-
canism, has resulted in the per,
manent good Of the country, i:
attested by the following recent
dispatch from Paris. It says
The Paris schools have just beer
opened to receive the largest reg
istration in their history. Ir
spite of the expected overcrowd.
ing, accommodations have proved
sufficient, which is great dis
appointment to the opponents o.
the ministry, who wanted to pre-.
sent a pathetic picture of little
children wandering, without edu.
cation, in the streets, deprived
of their birthright by an irte'
ligious government. Through
out France 1000, 900 additional
children have been enrolled in
the public schools in consequence
of the famous congregations law.
The school administration calcu'
lates that this influx of children
will cost an additional 80, 600, ,ooo
francs ($I5,44o, ooo.)
% -
The people who retain thei1
faith in the commercial suprem.
acy of California and Oregon,
regardless of the growing nations
to the south, are paying bat lit
tie attention to the trend of opin
ion in the commercial world.
Perhaps the following prophecy,
published in the Mexican Her
aid, paper printed. in English
:&, +1,e Ts%x, &c Ma~so~ ~,.ox, -