Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-01-26
CHAMPIONS CAUSE.
Demands Open Willamette and
Free Locks.

HOeVeiopmenJ League, Henry 5. West
brook, of the o. C. L. Co., made splen-
did address in which he made a strong
plea for an open river the entire year
to Corvallis and for free locks at Oregon
City. From his speech we are pleased
to publish the following:
The most difficult task which confronts
us today is the opening of the Willamette
River to Corvallis and the removal of the
lockage tribute at Oregon City. For al
most a natural life time. the people have
borne this burden passively, while it has
done more than any one thing, to sap
the internal wealth of the country. It
works in MYSTERIOUS way, in that it
ira storms every man into an uncon-
scious collector of its tribute. While we
are now considering the question, the
dollars are clinking over the cousters of
our business houses, paying this DAVIS
portion of the annual toll it exacts
Every patient man, faithful woman and
hopeful child, who, bv chance or choice,
have cast their fortunes with the destinies
OF the Valley, are compelled to pay
portion OF the earnings for their honest
toll to 'he enrichment of the Golfers of
this benevolent (?) corporation which
has even denied the state the proverbial
LILO of Its earnings.
With all ofits unreasonableness, this
lockage OF so cents per ton would not be
so bad if it were exacted from those who
p tronize the River. But it is exacted
from those who patronize the rail as
well. When We seriously consider this
question, we are startled by the TACT that
every consumer must pay 1ockage of
2H cents per 100 pounds upon his -four,
salt and sugar. The contractor or build.
er pays PA cents lockage upon each keg
OF nails, six cents upon each barrel of
lime and ten cents upon each barrel of
cement The blacksmith pays 5 cents
per sack upon his coal; the foundryman
$3.50 upon each car of pig iron. And
every other article of use, ornament or
consumption have attached to it's pur-
chase price some proportion of this un-
just taxation. The producer, commonly
called the farmer, is not forgotten, for he
pays lockage of 2 and 2 cents upon
each sack of oats, wheat, barley or pota-
t>es, and IA cents upon each box of
pears or apples; cents upon each bale
of hay: cents upon each bale of hops;
ten cents upon each head of hogs or
sheep; and % cents upon teach head of
cattle or horses. We mean by free locks
that these amounts will be saved the
producers and consumers of the, Valley.
To make the expression plain, they mean
that the farmer who produces 100 sacks
of spuds will be saved $3.50; 100 bales
,os hops, IS 90; loco bales of hay, $40,
or that the people of the Willamette
Valley, at the most conservative esti-
mate, will be saved not less thans$lOo,-
oO0.O Of annually.
I am not throwing boquets, but have
a rose today for your distinguished fell
Mr.. Westgate, and
bunch of vio!ets for the other Albany
their combined efforts that the question
of Free Locks received its first genuine
recognition in the Valley.
To buy or build Free Locks, requires
an expenditure too large for any cbarita-
bly, disposed person, The task is of too
great magnitude for any navigaple con-
Germ. Our steam and electric lines do
not need nor want them. To procure
them by direct taxation would place too
great burden upon the whole people, a
majority of whom would receive 40 bene-
bit In return. They must come from and |
through our paternai government, be- |
cause to provide them at our own sacri-
ice would be assuming an injustice to
ourselves, for our national government |
has opened the rivers and made the
ocks tree for the people of other states,
and we are just as good, equally as i'm
oortaIt and deserve as much considera-
ion from our Federal government as any
'1her people under the protecting aegis
ii our national flag.
To procure Free Locks there ere GER
ain duties imperatively to be performed
t will be much easier for our congress
nan to secure the necessary appropria-
ion II the Department of Commerce and
labor has the information that the
willamette river is important because
he people use it, We must also have
representatives who are not only posi-
ivelr interested but honestly endeavor-
ng to make them free. A play to the
alleries may fool the people at home,
ut it will not be misconstrued in the
alls of congress.
Now that tie people have that sover- /
Ign right to select their own representa- S
yes they should look well to this most
nportant qualification. q