Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1904-05-19
IMPORTANCE OF TIE PoRT.
AGE.

kMpORIdNCE or IHh PORL
AGE.
No other question which at thiu
time claims the attention oil
the people Of Eastern Oregon is oI
such prime importance as is THAI OF
the opening Of the Columbia river
TO navigation at the falls of Celilo.
Every material interest OF theprO
ducers and business men Of the In
land Empire is centered in this
proposition. Asconditions now ex-
ist the business Of u e entire section
is placed at the mercy Of q single
transportation corporation aud the
freight rates are fixed with the
single idea Of what the traffic will
bear" At the last regular session
Of the legislature q law was enacted
providing for the construction Of q
portage road aud carrying with it
an appropriation which was then
believed TO be adequate tor the con-
stFuction and equipment Of the
road. A board of portage comnlis-
eioners, consisting of the governor,
secretary of state and attorney
general was appointed TO take
charge Of the construction of the
road and twas fondIy hoped by the
people east Of the Cascades that
the road would be built and the
longed for relief given within a
year from the passage of the act.
At about the time it was expected
work would commence on the port
age road, however, q governmental
canal project was sprung whether
or not at the instigation Of the rail
road people we are not prepared TO
eay) and the portage commissioners
saw fit to abandon the portage
proposition and devote their
energies to the work of securing
right-of.way for the canal. While,
no doubt. canal and locks will be
the ultimate solution of the Cello
problem, even the most sanguine
friends of that plan can not reason
ably hope for relief from that
source within much less than 20
years. Every man who has given
the matter serious consideration
must agree that the only practical
present day solution of the prob
lem is a portage road and if the
people who have pioneered the In
land Empire and who have borne
the brunt of developing q new
country expect to derive any bene-
fit from an open river during their
lifetime they must. insist on the
next Legislature taking such action
on this important matter as viii
insure the immediate construction
of the portage road.
The entire transportation question
as it is related to this section of
Oregon hinges on an open river and
the people of Gillian county may
as well quit talking or thinking
railroad until the river problem is
solved. We all know tina. the o.
R. & N. holds the key to this part
of the country and as long as they
control the situation and get every
pound of freight at Arlington we
need not expect them to incur the
expense of building road to ac-
commodate the people. Railroad
corporations are not built that way.
A portage road, however, would
force the railroad people to build
because if We had an open river we
would never haul our freight TO
Arlington and then turn it over to
the railroad. We would patronize
the river every time.
This question is a purely busi-
ness proposition but it is one which
is closely allied with the coming
election. II the people of this Sec
tion desire a portage road, reduced
freight rates and better transporta.
ton facilities all round they should
make this an issue in the campaign.
They should canvass the matter
and decide on men for legislative
positions who are not only known
to be warm supporters of the i'm
mediate construction of the port.
age road but who also seem best
qualified to make a winning fight
for that project. This is not a po-
litical proposition. 1t is strictly
business measure and it closely af-
fects the pOcketbook of every citi-
zen. Every voter should study
this question and vote for port
age road on the 9Th of June. j.