Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-05-07

!
and unrestrained boosters of the
Oregon-Idaho development Congress
has only been the hot-air part of
their program. The organization
from its inception has had very
definite program in the shape of a
political campaign. In its first meet
ing held in Marshfield, a committee
on resolutions brought in a report
broadly outlining the proposition of
placing the whole power of the two
wealths-executive, legisla-
ture and judicial-behind the cause
of development Two commissions
were appointed by the governor of
each state-a highway commission
and a commission on legislation. In
Oregon the legislative commission
formulated a General Port Commits
! sion Act, which has become the law
of Oregon and under which the west
coast harbors will be improved by
Port Commissioners, backed by full
powers of levying taxes and issuing
bonds, to be expended in deepening
the waterways, improving the shore
line and preventing monopoly of the
water fronts. The legislative com
mission also recommended an amend
ment to the Oregon constitution
which was put through the legisla-
ture and will be submitted to the
people at the next election. 1t is
no bluff as some have represented,
to coerce Mr.. Hartman into building
railroads into the interior 1t is a
deliberate attempt to arm the peo-
pie with full powers of railroad con-
struction if that is deemed necessary
and advisable. The congress went a |
step further and secured the enact |
ment of the district railroad bill at |
the hands OF the Idaho legislature |
That bill was enacted into a law and |
approved by Governor Brady, and if !
it is not knocked out in the supreme |
court, will become the greatest |
weapon of self-help ever placed in
the hands of sovereign people 1t
may be predicted that the united
legal talent of all the corporations
will be directed at the overthrow of
this piece of legislati N Unless it
is overthrown railroads viii be built
as simply and as easily rs all irriga-
tion canal, drainage, ditch, maca-
dam, road or country school house,
The owners of the land will build
and own the railroad exactly as they
do the other things, in the interest
of their own preservation They
will not undertake to run the rail-
road any more than they would un-
dertake to teach the school, because
they can hire persons to do either
much cheaper and much better than
they can do it themselves.
Last and still greater by far than
the educational campaign or the poll
tical campaign has been the practical
work undertaken of locating, finan-
cling and constructing a steam rail-
way from Coos Bay through Central
Oregon to Boise, Idaho, and Salt
Lake, or Butte Montana. 1t is a
square fight to secure a transcon-
tinental connection with a great
deep-sea harbor on Coos Bay, not
by Hartman interests.
Three surveying parties have been
put in the field, one from Coos Bay
east to Roseburg or Eugene, one
east and west from Burns, and one
west and north from Boise. These
surveys are being made by high-class
railroad engineers; are paid for by
ocal contributions backed by hold
ng corporation with only $4,000
'apital stock, so placed that the en-
erprise cannot be sold out or side
racked, and right of way secured as
last as the line is located. Terminal
'acilities on Coos Bay and in the