Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1911-09-14
w. c. ELLIOTT RETURNS
HOME FROM WASHINGTON
Where He Visited The Last Two
Months. Mrs. Elliott Re-
mains At Tacoma.

In the last week in June Mr.. and
Mrs. w. G. Elliott left Audubon to
spend the summer in the great north
west. Mr.. Elliott arrived home on Sat
urday leaving Mrs. Elliott and her sister
at Tacoma. After attending to business
matters here for some time he intends
to go back and if the climate continues
to agree with her they may remain
through the winter. Mr.. Elliott gives
fine description of the country, the
big cities, the people and the conditions
in that section of Uncle Sans domain.
THE BEAUTIES OF PUGET SOUND.
Puget Sound is said to be the most
beautiful body of salt water in the
world. 1t is ramified by bays, inlets,
island passenges, peninsular projections
of the mainland, and every headland
conceals new vistas of the Olympics,
and the foothills. Mount Tacoma as
they call it in Tacoma, and Mount
Rainier as they call it in Seattle, appears
from so many angles and across landscape
combinations of water, fern and fir clad
hillsides, that the beholder soon loses
all sense of direction and imagines him.
self in the midst of an enchanted
gallery. The Sound has two thousand
miles of shore line 1t is interesting to
watch the incoming tide ON clear day,
as it rises to the height of sixteen to
twenty feet. The rocking waves appear
like thousand mirrors glimmering in
the sun.
BIG CITIES OF THE NORTHWEST.
The cities of the northwest are grow.
a.1sIlxy DIonas, lak H.
hamlets thirty years ago now have
populations of hundreds of thousands
of people. Spokane is a beautiful in.
land city of a hundred thousand popula-
ton. Tacoma ON the Sound has a few
thousand more, and Seattle only twenty
eight miles away runs up toabout three
hundred thousand. These cities on the
Sound are ports for the largest sea going
vessels and an immense trade is carried
on with the far east. Commerce on the
high seas seems to be almost exclusively
in the hands of Great Britain, Japan,
and Germany. A Japanese steamer
unloaded cargo of silks and teas on a
Milwaukee special freight and delivered
the merchandise in New York within
six days. The city of Portland. Oregon,
is beautiful place and has a population
next in number to Seattle.
LABOR AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS.
The labor situation in the northwest
is very dull. Thousands of men are out
of employment. Ask them about it and
their reply is Nothing Doing" The
interest is exceedingly dull.
Though lumber is cheap there is no
for it even at $40 to oil a.
thousand. The Canadian pact, in the
opinion of the best informed mill men
whom | met, will not help our lumber
industry A proprietor of big sawmill
with thirty years experience tells me
that British Columbia has just as much
lumber as we have, and the Dominion
sells the stumpage from fifty cents to a
dollar per thousand feet, while with us
it is worth three dollars. The Canadian
hire Japs, Hindoos and
Cinnamon at fifty cents per day. And
our laborers get $500 day.
The socialist element is quite strong
in that section and very much in. favor
Of the recall of the judges, which is the
clamor of the mob. This propaganda
Is fathered by the insurgents, who are
republican blankets The
democrats out there are united and are
going to put up great fight in 1912. Il
think that Taft's Swing Around The
Circle" will help him. LaFollette's
after him may change the
situation. The women in Washington
will have vote next year and that will
be new and important element in the
vote of that state.
FARMING In THAT COUNTRY.
Farming in Western Washington is a
good deal of joke. No country com
pares with Iowa in that line of industry.
Lands out there are high being 5000 to
$500 an acre. Fruit lands in. the fruit
districts bring fabulous prices running
from 81 900 to 81, 500 an acre. Where
they have plenty of water the irrigated
lands are very productive. The reclaim
alton service has opened up many
of acres. And | think there
are many good opportunities in such
districts. We attended a picnic at
Tacoma where two thousand Iowans
were present; and we met many Iowa
people everywhere we went. I have