The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-06-24
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WEATHER.
THE COLUMBIA BAR.

Astoria has her ambitions; she has a
right to them; nature has done much to
inspire them and keep them alive.
Among her yearnings. is that of becom-
ing a great seaport. She lies upon a
magnificent bay just within one of the
noblest marine grateways upon this side
of the Pacific and her aspiration for COM
mercial pre-eminence is justifable and
wholly reasonable.
In the past she has eontended some
what selfshly. perhaps, for this supreme
advantage and always hopelessly. Her
time has not yet arrived, however newt
able it may be; and now, to place her
self in an attitude, less of selfish antago-
nism, and more of prideful effort for
the great state she must always stand
for, she viii contend honestly, and
strenuously, for a 40-foot channel over
the Columbia river bar, for the immense
and lasting good it viii do the whole
State of Oregon, its metropolis included.
All she asks for is that sensible,
effective, consecutive course of improve
ment be undertaken, at once, for the es-
tablishment and maintenance of that
deep channel on the sea barrier that shall
open up the whole wide territory Of Ore
gon to the commerce of the world; that
the mouth of the Columbia river and
that great river itself together with all
the cities and towns that touch
upon it directly and Indirectly,
be made what it should have
been long years ago, safe, avail
able, constant and famous avenue to a
line of ports that have something to
receive from the world at large, and
plenty to yield in return; that the men
in interest, in Portland, and elsewhere
throughout the state whatsoever their in
terests may be, business, commercial, poll
tics, official, unofficial, technical, lay or
merely superficial. shall come down here
and scan the situation, on the ground,
and decide for themselves, the momen-
tous question of expedients and the
value of their instant application. 1t is
no issue to be cavalierly disposed of at
the dictum of some newspaper, nor upon
the hypothesis put forward in maga-
zine article; it is a matter of huge sig
nifcance and worthy the deliberate and
faithful scrutiny of the best and brain.
lest men in the commonwealth, for it
is a commonwealth matter and not the
segregated nor disassociated problem Of
any one city or section.
Therefore, We ask that it be ignored nc
longer; that the best talent and the larg'
est interests in wide Oregon, be invoked
for the saving of the tremendous element:
of trade and traffic, with which it i;
pregnant, to the state at large.
We believe, that for temporary pur'
poses the engagement of the dredgel
Chinook upon the bar during the next
four or five months, will do what il
Immediately necessary, while the largel
schemes for Its final and permanent de-
Feiopment are being formulated and X
be put in immediate practice when they
are wrought out.
What the ultimate idea may be fo
preserving the great sea channel for al
time to come, we know not, nor care, 81
long as It shall be absolutely effective
The completion Of the souh jetty and th
installation Of the north sea wall an,
the subsequent attritiye force Of th
tides, or the regular maintenance Of
bar dTedger at all times and seasons
whatever may come, and come 10 stay
W fblll ball with immeDse sail'iAptior
and with the rest of Oregon, glory in th
nKlaaalA FaRtiita