The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-07-06
THE LOGIC OF IT ALL.

Inc Morning Asloian uesheS 70 uS
loyal to Astoria. to Portland and to
the State, in striving for the future 1t
believes is destined to transpire for this
city and section. 1t wants to say the
most it can for that destiny, honestly,
fearlessly, convincingly, and when it
finds a declaration in line, better said
than it can say it, the cause justities
the repetition Of the larger and better
statement and this paper employs il
gladly, as means to an end most de-
youtly wished for; therefore, it presents.
this morning, the sterling arguments
offered by the Portland Oregonian in
behalf of Astoria as the seaport for all
Oregon, in its issue of October Is, 1894
than which there is nothing extant more
eonclusively to the point, that we wot
or 1t reads as follows:
"It is time the legitimate bounds of
local contention, the proper limitations
of local rivalry, were well understood.
1t is not true that what builds up one
place or one section Injuries another
place or another section. Nothing we
shall ever do viii supercede the mathe-
mataical principle that the whole is
merely the sum of its parts. A corollary
Of this principle is that the best de-
yelopment Of which each of the parts is
capable must come through the develop
meut of the whole together.
eve want a railroad from Portland
to Astoria, and more than one, if pos
sible. We shall not get the best results
from shipping the products of the CO.
lumbia region to the sea till cars may
20 through to Astoria without tranship-
ment and rehandling of their contents.
Then we shall have an advantage in the
common railway rate TO the seaboard, for
there will be no account Of river charges
thereafter, though many ships may still
come to Portland. But, till this shall
be accomplished, there will always be
ground of discrimination against this
route, which it will be necessary to meet
and cover through various methods Of
indirection. This Astoria railroai there
fore will be quite as advantageous to
Portland as to Astoria, more so, indeed,
because of Portland's larger aggregate
interest. This railroad is the remaining
factor necessary for the assertion and
maintenace of the water level route
through the mountains over all the
routes of ascent and descent, over all
routes subject to elevation, grades,
switchbacks, and tunnels. When our
common point shall be actually on the
sea, at a great fresh water harbor, equal
to any harbor in the world, reached from
the great interior by water level
route, while other roads are compelled
to climb high mountains, and then will
terminate at points distant from the
sea and subject to the charges of towage
and pilotage, our real advantages will
become apparent; the more so still when
the Columbia River and its great tribu-
taries shall have been opened to con-
tinuous navigation - and this is not
distant-and shall bear the products OF
Oregon, Washing ton and idaho direct to
the sea. The railroad, upon the inter-
ior line, between Portland and Astoria,
will open great country between these
places, which, with this ancillary enter
prise, will soon be as thickly inhabited
as any part of the Northwest. This IS
not a Portland scheme nor an Astoria
scheme, but an Oregon scheme-using
the term Oregon in the large sense
formerly embraced in the geographical
expression, when Oregon included the
Pacific Northwest of the United States.
owe shall have the Columbia River
railway to Astoria, which will place our
railway common point at the seaboard;
we shall have line through Clatsop,
Columbia and Washington, connecting
Portland and Astoria that way and
opening the riches of the interlying
country. We shall get more farmers and
more producers in all lines, shall sub
divide and clear up our lands, diversity
production and get ahead. Having
achieved SO much already, it is time to
renew the energy of the earlier day, and