The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-10-16

ing to sharp structure Of the committee
| for failing to make good on the pre-.
scribed plane, rather than pilng up the
additional, and wholly foreign embargo,
Of "a 100000 bond to protect the work.
lingmen who may be engaged in the con
struction of the roada.
It is held BY many in the city that
liz the promotion committee is not capa-
BILE of closing up deal like this, in a
businesslike way, promptly, and with.
out permitting the Intervention Of simi.
/ lar, though rival interests, in an affair
of such moment as this: and that II the
| iull committee Of nine, is to delegate its
influence and authority to q third Of
the membership, the sooner the Chamber
takes up the pwer it has delegated, the
better for all concerned.
Mr.. Reid came down here prepared to
perform the share of his principals in
the matter Of the money -and -deed-escrow
and that was the end OF the transaction.
so far as it has proceeded, of act, and
record. There was no call for the shall
low farce Of the bond to protect the men
who are to do the construction work;
the transparency OF the thing indicates
that it was a pretext and bluff, and it
bears a decidedly inspired look to level
headed business men about town.
Everybody knows that William Reid
is not operating, this time, as an actual
promoter and builder; but is here,as the
agent and representative Of people and
interests presumably safe and respect
able, and, until proven otherwise, en-
titled to full faith and credit. And since
he came as an agent and has not posed
as anything else from beginning to end,
lit were the better part OF communal
decency not to deliberately and pointed
" pile up barriers for which there is no
call nor excuse.
That there is contention afoot as
to the prior claim Of the Lytle interests
in the right-of-way, by reason of their
having first surveyed and staked out the
unbought grade, is beside the matter as
| it was presented to this community by
the Hawgood people; that issue is up
to the parties themselves to settle in. or
out, OF court, as best suits their ends
and aims. We do no have to adjust that
nor any other controversy; all we had
to do was to keep faith with Mr.. Reid
so far as we have pledged our faith; and
the outcome does not bear too close
scrutiny on this score, so far as we are
concerned.
What Astoria wants is more railroads.
1t does not make any difference who
brings them in here, so they come; and
it is the plain duty of the biggest COM
mittee in the Astoria Chamber of Com
merce to see to it that their coming il
assured in SO far as the people OF this
city can assure it. Not man, nor three
are qualified or commissioned to .arbi
trarily set up barriers against Mr., Reid
nor any other man. duly sent here to
treat with this community; and the nine
members of the promotion committee
may not do it either if the policy is
directly antagonistic to the public good
i 1t is not question of what Mr.. Reid
can or will do, but what his principals
will do; and as much is known of then
and their purposes as is known OF MIR
Lytle and his. We have certain things
to offer and certain compacts to maxi
and keep; and our communal honest,
is not to be jeopardized at the behest o
any antagonistic interest, in nor out o
Astoria, and the sooner this is under
stood, the better for all in touch witt
public matters of this sort.