The times-herald. [volume] (Burns, Harney County, Or.) 1896-1929, 1911-03-18
SAYS LEAVE GOOD ENOUGH ALONE.
An "Old Timer Would Not Change The
Present Conditions for Railroad.

ton Of u railroad into Harney
Valley.
| have lived here a great many
years, came here vi h nothing
but youth, health and plenty of
energy; married and raised a
family and am now q grand
dad" all since coming to Harney
Valley the best and healthiest
of places.
We have never had extremes
of wealth or poverty, and more
people have come into this coun-
try made their little stake" Of
from fifteen to fifty thousand
dollars, sold and moved out, then
in any other except q mining
section.
We have paid high prices for
the things we bought but we had
the money and paid our way,
Only three insolvency cases in
over n quarter of a century is n
pretty clean record two far
mers and one merchant.
We were a stock raising com
munity at first, cattle and horses
only, was supposed to be to
brushy for sheep in those early
days, but some one moved in
with sheep and others followed;
than we were obliged to haul
millions of pounds of wool 150
miles to the railroad as well as
driving thousands of horses and
cattle; but potatoes couldn't be
raised and the very thought of
growing grain made us shiver;
but alack and alas, there were
those who would experiment and
now we are raising as fine potas
toes as grow anywhere not to
mention tomatoes and all other
vegetables besides apples, pears,
peaches, plums and apricots; also
this is the natural home of the
asparagus there being just
enough alkali in the soil to give
it the salt it desires in order to
flourish.
Our wheat is a hard, white
wheat from which the Burns
Flour Milling Company turns out
a brand of flour unexcelled any
where, and you can not sell to n
bread maker in Harvey Valley
any but Burns flour.
Grain growers here are getting
three cents per pound for their
grain and have money to burn,
and are not caring whether we
get a railroad. A few years ago
a farmer boasted if he had five
acres tout of several sections of
land) in grain. Yesterday ! saw
three farmers from out in the
middle of the valley and / in
quired as to how much winter
wheat each had in this year and
one has 125 acres and one has
upwards of 100 acres and one
has 40 acres and each expects at
least an average Of forty bushels
to the acre. and this where five
years ago nothing but sage brush
grew.
Now, Mr.. Editor, with the
prices received for products of
the farm and the great open
country upon which TO range our
stock. why, | ask, are we not
happier without a railroad than
we can ever be with one? Now
we stay at home and attend to
our business; our children are
bright and healthy and are bet
ter posted in current events and
literature then city raised child
rem and are more contented with
their homes and surroundings
than in railroad communities.
To be sure railroads are a great
convenience when we wish to
travel but they are also a great
drain upon the purse and the
home and | question their ulti-
mate good to our fair country.
Now we have no "hobos," no
need to lock our doors, our Jail is
empty and we have no paupers;
why, then, mar this with a rail-
road with its train of evil conse-
quences?
We know we can raise enough
grain, enough gilt edge wheat,
in Harvey Valley alone to feed
Oregon, but will we be better
off then than now? Settle up
this great country with a railroad
if you will, will our farmers get
three cents for wheat, fifty cents
for butter, fifty cents for eggs
and own automobiles then as
now? Nay. my brother.