St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1911-04-07
To Bore Council Crest.

The People, Press of last week
says: "If the plans of the organiza-
tion recently formed to bore a tun-
uel under Council Crest do not mis-
carry, Portland will have a West
Side suburb that will be rivallcd
only by the East Side.
Our bright contemporary need
have no very great spasms Of fear
that the lovely East Side is to have
formidable rival on the West Side
within a year, or within a century.
for that matter.
1t is true the monetary lords of
the West Side have viewed with
more or less uneasiness and jeal-
ousy the rapid strides the East Side
is making toward financial and
commercial independence, and
when the thoughto of supremacy and
control of these departments of our
business world shifting across the
river occurs TO them, it doubtless
causes their hearts to rise in their
throats almost to suifocation.
The farmers are a thrifty bunch
and deserve all that Portland can
give them. We would like to see
them get it and hope they will,
but the trouble is the "tight-wads" "
of Portland who are the more di.
rectly interested and more able to
pay will not loosen up on a shekel
until their hands are pried open
with a crow bar. This Hold to the
mum policy of some of the wealth
lest Westsiders has been a good
boost for the East Side and will
continue to be so until all they re.
tire into "inocuous desuetude"
This "tightwaditis," which is so
prevalent there will not bar the tun.
mel, for the Tualatin boys are after
IL and they are not tightwads. The
elemtn nts that will initiate against
the bore" are those which killed
the San Francisco proposition, viz:
In order to find a place where o
short tunnel of 600 or 100 feet
would take them through the ridg,
will be so near the top that il will
be of little practical value to the
farmers, and TO put the tunnel on
such a level as would eliminate the
heavy haul, would cost from three
and a half TO FIVE million bucks and
Il Is a question II IL would not be
paying too much Tor the whistle
For the southern part of the val.
ley IL would be a great boon TO get
tunnel at comparatively low
level, but for the middle and north.
ern portions of the valley, with
good road, easy grade, free ferry |
aud better market, the farmers
would be going farther and faring |
worse TO seek patronage from the
congested district of the West Side,
already overworked by local pro
ducers.
We would like TO see some OF the
"gotrocks" OF the West Side loos.
en- up their relentless death grasp
upon their ducats at least so as TO
enable them To meet the Tualalin
boys half way; because they de
serve il for the enterprise they have
shown in taking the initiative. II
will do harm TO the East Side; for
there is nothing short of a cataclasm
blotting ont that peerless residence,
aud manufacturing site
extending from Sellwood To the
junction of tie two rivers. can ever
stop the wonderful progress Of this
section; an advancement that is
increasing in volume and velocity
as the years SO by and will in an
incredibly short time make the East
Side, Portland, and Portland THE |
city of the Pacific coast. The loca-
Iion is ideal tor such a destiny, the
resources back OF Portland is ample
10 warrant such a conclusion, aud
ihe development of these resources
S as yet but in its incipient stage
All that will be required To bring
lbout the fulhllment OF this prophe-
y is well directed effort backed by
! liberal policy OF development, No
.pidemic of "Tightwaditis" will
.ver accomplish il OF anything else
'erhaps except the advancement of
me section OF the city at the eN-
'ense OF some other as indicated
bOve. Neritas.