East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-11-21

ette Valley Development league has
been made public here, in which Will
liam ID. Fenton, chief counsel of the
Hartman lines in Oregon, discusses
the proposed belt line from Ontario
vib Drain to Coos Bay and the devel-
opment of that harbor, as follows
says the Salem Statesman:
First, while am not familiar with
the possibilities of the harbor of Coos
Bay, / have no doubt that the con-
structlon of the railroad from Drain
to Coos bay, which Is now a certainty.
will bring public attention to the nat
ural advantages of that section. so
that all the possible benefits will add
largely to the material wealth of the
state and will not in the slightest In
terfere with the material advancement
of any other section of the state.
while 1t may be fairly conceded
that the improvement of the mouth
OF the Columbia river is at this time of
larger Importance to the present COM
merce of the northwest, 1t must al
ways be borne In mind that a state
must be developed In all Its sections,
and that one section ought not to be
developed at the expense of all others.
l do not believe in abating any effort
to secure the improvement of the Co
lumbia river. but l do not think such
effort should minimize or affect dis
advantage ously needed development of
other coast harbors. Just now the
gon are turned toward Coos Bay, and
am persuaded that the development
Of the harbor and the business of that
section of the state will bring added
wealth and business of benefit to every
other section of the state.
Second. 1t ought always to be
borne In mind that the development of
any section of the state Is of greater
advantage to the people and the COM
munities served by such development
than IL can possibly to the trans
portation line.
The Increased business which a
new line of railway may bring to IT.
self is but a small fraction of the
great volume Of material wealth Gre
ated and distributed to the popula-
ton served by such a new line. To
illustrate. while the construction OF a
line of railroad from Ontario TO the
Willamette valley and from Drain to
Coos Bay would practically give a
belt line of railroad through a central
portion of the state of Oregon, and
bring to that new line certain volume
of business, giving to tho transporta-
ton company that may construct the
line a certain income. this Increased
traffic thus handled by the railway
company. and this increased revenue
IL less than 10 per cent of the tota
developed wealth coming to the state
on account of the construction anC
operation of such line.
"Third.-Another important fac
ought 10 be always remembered In &
discussion of these questions. There
Is an equality OF benefits and a dis
tribution of added wealth which af'
fects every interest in the community
and II ought not to be forgotten tha'
the interests of the railroad and th'
communities served by them are mu
tually interdependent
'If a community does not prosper
the transportation lines necessarily Dc
not prosper. IL there is increased
population. increased manufactures
increased subdivisions of farms ant
added families. there must Of necessi
ty be increased revenues coming tc
the railway companies serving suef
communities
II believe that the northwest is OF
the eve of a great upward and forward
movement. and in that movement liei
the hope OF western and southern Ore
gon. The Willamette valley is capa
BILE of sustaining a population of NOR
than 100 times that now here. South
ern Oregon could easily maintain 81
times the present population. Insteat
Of farms of large area there would b'
subdivisions into small parcels an'
close and intensified farming encour
aged, and a market for the produc,
provided.
"The history of the state of Wash
ington on the north demonstrates tn,
fact that the prosperity OF a grea
commonwealth Is augmented by thu
development of large centers of pop
ulation in various sections of th'
state. Washington has Tacoma, Ev
erett, Bellingham, Spokane and Wall;
Walla as active and populous center
OF wealth. trade and industry eacl
city affording a large and constant!
growing market for the products .
the mill, soil and mine.
THE state of California on t.,
south has two large and rapidly grow
ing cities, and while undeniably tru
that the chief market at the presen
time for the products of the William
cite valley is the city OF Portland,
is an admitted fact that much of tn
produce of the state must be shippe
to foreign markets, manufactured an
sold, bought or shipped to Galveston
for steamer transit to Europe or 4
New York for transhipment.
Its lumber must reach marke
in the Mississippi valley or In the mar
kets of the world across seas, It
wheat must be ground to flour an