The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1906-12-07
HUNDREDS WERE THERE.
And all lndisent- But Still Generous
and Fair Shippers and Railroad.


Wednesday, 1t was convention
of men affected by the car shor
age, aud an immense aggregate of
capital aud business brains was re-
presented, Three hundred to 40,
men from all parts of Oregon Were
pr, sent, aud each man was in dead
" earnest,
The paralysis OF industry caused
by the car shortage is far more i'm
portant than 1t is commonly report
ed to be. The Booth-Kelly Com
pany alone have $4,000, 900 feet of
logs and lumber tied up by the Cal
stringency. Twenty mills at Cot.
tage Grove alone are practically
idle. Hops cannot be move6.
Buyers who have bought large
stocks are frenzied. They cannot
get them to market and there is
danger of a depressed price. Hop
agents in Oregon are receiving tele-
graphic advices to buy nothing
more on any account. That blocks
the sale of unsold hops and Heaven
knows what it means for the grow
ers with stocks yet on hand. Flour
cannot be shipped. Flour millers
can not get cars to ship their prod
uct outside of Oregon, and but few
or local trade. The Willamette
is the main reliance of the Corvallis
and other mills along the river.
Even this line is more or less con-
gested because the shortage of ocean
steamer accommodations. Oregon
millers are accordingly losing their
California markets and customers,
who must make accounts with peo-
pie who can furnish them with
stocks. The injury thus wrought
to Oregon business is almost ire
parable. Workingmen are out of
employment in the numbering dis
tricts. There is nothing for them
to do and their homes are needy.
There is distress. stagnation. and
paralysis. It is something, the like
Of which Oregon never saw, and at
a time when the state is more pros
porous otherwise than at any other
time in her history.
| These things were the theme of
speeches at the convention. There
were no honeyed words there for
Mr.. Hartman. He was loudly
condemned. Every condemnatory
utterance of his name was applaud
, ed. 1t was said that he was de.
vo' ing time to gobbling up other
lines and to keeping other railroads
out of Oregon and that the employ
ment was discreditable to him. Thai
; sentiment was applauded. 1t was
said the legislature ought 10 enact
drastic railroad legislation. Thai
was applauded. 1t was said tina
the road ought to be made to dis
gorge the remains of its land grant
that it has withdrawn from the
, market, and that was applauded te
f the echo. 1t was stated that th'
Southern Pacific has gone to build
ing sawmills and to hauling off it
own lumber. saving up the forest
it has withdrawn from market.
t speaker said that was discreditabl,
and ought to be stopped. and tha
was loudly applauded. A man fron
Cottage Grove said the Southern
l Pacific system was a "thievin'
scoundrer' and though it was hsrt
to see just wherein the epithet ap
piled to a track and ties, it wa
vociferously applauded. An
thing in fact inimical to the roa
j, was considered bully" and invar'
iably brought down the house.
And it wasn't house of hood
e lums either. The men there wer
e1 sober, steady, highminded, sell
r respecting gentlemen. They wer
! and are, angry. Their indignatio
= is unloosed. Their dogs of wa
IS have been unleisched. Six year
o these men have waited for cars the
o couldn't get. Three per cent c
O. the cars required for lumber shir
. meuts have been furnished. Ths
! is very small ratio. 1t is on
y thirty-third of what was needed
I'll That and like car stringency in e1
d cry line brought the delegates t
:, Eugene to speak their minds
x When they got there they foun
of other men as indignant as then
g selves. They met them comm
$ with set teeth from every direction
"a 1t is not surprising that the aggr'
gate of their pent up wrath, whe
ie it did burst forth, took on luri
IN hue.
7e They do not mean to persecu
? the roads The expressions of ou
:. rage and incense were always a
" companied with a proposal ever
lg be fair. Injustice for neither raj
in read nor people was the slogan I
is the convention. But there must /
:. remedies. And there must be e
fective remedies. A railroad COZ
DC mission law with reciprocal demul