East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-07-10
TO DEVELOP OREGON
WILLAMETTE VALLEY
LEAGUE is ON RECORD.
Resolutions Favoring More Railroad
Building Into Central Oregon Are
Unanimously PasseC-Would Also
Encourage Building by Exempting
New Capital From Taxation

At a session of the willamette VAL
ley Development league held at Salem
Saturday the following railroad reso-
lutions were unanimously adopted:
Resolved, That the Willamette VAL
ley Development league is ready to
cooperate with every section of the
state to secure speedy development of
Eastern and Western Oregon, and es-
pecially the coast region. We realize
fully the value of the proposed extern
sions to the Clearwater country in
Idaho, and from Shaniko to Bend as
promoting Portland commercial in
terests and opening the interior to
settlement. But Western Oregon has
far greater interests in the develop
ment of the harbor on the west coast
at Tillamook, at Yaquina bay or at
Coos bay.
The passage of the Killingsworth
bill has made It possible for the Reed
syndicate to float bonds in London for
the construction of a line from Hills
boro to Tillamook. The same law
will protect competitive lines that
should be constructed from the Will
lamette valley into the great central
region of Oregon through the old mil
itary stage road pass, from the Will
lamette valley to Coos bay. from Sa-
lem through Polk county into the ST.
letz country, where the richest farm
ing, dairy and timber lands in the
world await development
Resolved, That we believe another
hn 81
of Oregon, with a railroad leading to
1t from the Willamette valley is in
dispensable. If this state is to be built
up and made populous and prosper
Gus. We cannot expect help from
outside sources unless we show a dis
position to help ourselves, and we are
convinced that there is enough capital
and energy in Western Oregon to ac-
complish this result, and that the time
is now ripe for this undertaking
In no country in the world equally
rich in resources would the old Ore
gon Pacific, now the Corvallis e. East
a quarter of a century.
Taxation Law Favored.
Resolved, That we favor the enact
ment by initiative of a taxation law
and recommend that the committee
| appointed here today to draft laws af-
| fecting the transportation interests in
! Oregon act with moderation. judg-
ment and intelligence in the interest
Of all Oregon. IF railroad property in
this state Is not taxed as much as In
other states. let that be remedied
But let no law be enacted that will
prevent capital from going into rail-
road construction in Oregon. We are
of the opinion that the railroads to
| the coast and into the interior will dc
more to develop this state than all
else combined.
This state would do better to exempt
for a period of years new capital that
might be invested in railroad build
ing than to pass any tax law that
would be unjust to the railroads now
here. Put certainly the limits OF mod
Grafton have been reached II. as seems
to be the undeniable fact, In return
for moderate taxation the people OF
this state have been rewarded with
policies Of retrogression in construc-
ton and strangulation of their indus
tries and development. But even in
the fact Of such manifest injustice to
this commonwealth, no Injustice
should be done by the committees
named here today.