Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1905-12-19
OPEN TO CORVALLIS.
Free Locks and Open River Year
Around.

From time to time the Gazett
has endeavored to make plain t
its readers the importance OF hav
ing the Willamette river naviga
,ble SO far as this city during th
entire year. That the locks a
Oregon City should be free is m
questionable. Can any r ason
able man deny that in time t,
come conditions on the Uppe
Willamette will be such tha
light-draft boats will ply be
tween Portland and Corvallis
during the entire twelve month.
of the year? Of course not.
This is condition that is Ger
tain to come TO be in time ane
the question is if it is going to be
good for future generations O
Oregonians why is it not proper
for us to beslir ourselves and Sc.
cure some of the benefits before
we leave this vale of tears? As
regards the locks, too, we are
paying a pretty penny for toll
Let US look at the speech of Capt.
A. B. Graham, OF the o. C. T.
Co., made last week before rep
resentative men at the Woodburn
Farmers and Shippers Congress,
as follows:
"More than any other one thing
the Willamette valley should
have free locks and an open river.
The reasons have been for more
than 80 years manifest, not only
to the man with the large busi-
ness, but to the man with a
small one as well. Every pro-
ducer and consumer is paying a
tax to corporation upon every
thing he buys and sells, whether
it is transported by rail or river.
On a conservative estimate the
Willamette valley, as far south
as Eugene, pays annually a tri-
butte in the way OF lockage to
the enormous amount of $Ioo,-
900 and has been doing so with.
out very much remonstrance, for
80 years.
''At the rate you are going,
the loss to you people of the val
ley in the next 80 years, will be
IS. 900, 600.
why this tax? this 1ockage?
this loss? Because you have
borne it passively, instead OF
protesting vigorously to your
representative in Congress,
urging them to use their in
fluence and efforts with our
Federal government to acquire
by purchase the locks at Oregon
City.
"But because the owners oi
the locks are not to be censured,
is no reason why you should moi
set in motion now the govern
mental machinery for new or free
locks. For almost lifetime
you have neglected your own
inte1sts, and the owners of the
locks have been profting by
your negligence.
ssThe Willamette drains one
of, if not the most, fertile valleys
on the globe. The locks at Ore.
gon City drain the pockets O
you easy-mark Oregonians to the
pretty little tune of 800, 900 an.
nually.
s'Gentlemen, you have and are
still buying gold brick with you1
eyes wide open.
$50 tar we have commenced
at the right place, by demanding
that the locks be made free. Oul
next step is to have the William
cite made navigable to Corvallis
every month III the year. Al
that the river men want is {
good four-foot channel at Low
water-just oue-tenth the deptl
asked for our Columbia river bar
Gas in the lockage question
here again we must demand tha
our representatives in Congress
use their efforts with the Fedora
authorities in our behalf. I car,
not the mans politics, if he ha
his states interests at heart b
will demand these, our pressing
needs.
'sIt is unnecessary to say be
fore this intelligent audience tha
even if both sides of our rive
should be girded with a networl
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