The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-06-29
Letters From the People
Mr.. Editor:

ihS SpeaSS you assign III your pa
per to the consideration of matter of
public import is certainly generous
and the zeal you display in defending
and advocating any measure that
seems to you in the least worth while
is certainly commendable. Like wa
ter and its fountai nhead, 1 have al
ways held that no city or community
would rise much higher than its news
paper-not .much greater than the
hopes and aspirations-voiced from
time to time by the local organ and
set forth for the perusal of the people.
But so long as the race remains hu-
man there will be differences of ideas
at least about some things-and /
maintain that an honest expression of
opinion, a calm discussion of affairs
and methods from different angles of
visions should work no injury to
community nor its people; in fact it
OUGHT to be a benefit. We have
not all travelled the same road during
the last couple of decades. We have
not all had the same experiences
consequently do not quite reach the
same conclusions in forecasting.
However, let's make the best of all
of our experiences and draw such in
SEPARATION and conclusions as we may
from the past.
1t seems to me that practically all
the queries raised in last weeks is
sue anent the rates, etc., were both
asked and answered in the article in
the Spokesman Review published a
short time since and / suggest a more
careful perusal of it at this time.
Also, and perhaps better, the pc
rusal of an editorial in the Saturday
Evening Post of June "a, under the
caption "Water Traffic" This short
skit condenses the whole subject and
gives gist Of the facts as they exist
in much terser manner than / am
capable of. If this is not sufficient,
many other articles giving facts and
figures by competent authority and
reaching the same conclusions, can
be presented for your edification.
However, cannot see that the fact
that there is still boat service on the
Willamette and lower Columbia and
on other rivers has anything to do
with the point at issue, here, just now.
The proposition set forth and main
tanned by the best authorities is that
heretofore inland river towns that
have really amounted to anything,
have had less and less use for the boat
service as they grew in size. 1t mat
tiers little what the reason is, but to
my mind it seems simple. The more
business that develops at given point
the cheaper it can be handled and the
more desirable from traffic stand
point and the special rates put in by
the railroad officials soon do the job
and the boats, if they run at all, hunt
for greener fields and pastures new.
Also, I might add that one of the
strongest elements that have operated
in recent years toward the discarding
of boat service in favor of the rail-
roads is the regularity and depend
ability of the latter. A slight reduc-
ton in rates cannot and does not off
set the advantage of a regular and de-
pendable service.
/ certainly cannot bring myself to
believe that the sentiment being en-
gendered in the community to the eff
feet that there exists any good rea-
son for adopting and ratifying any
such "harbor stuff" as the port COM
mission suggests, is based on sound
reason and good logic. / do not be-
lieve you can bring yourself to be-
lieve that our commercial prosperity
or our trade expansion is at any time
going to have for its foundation boat
service - irregular and desultory at
the best, hampered by ice in the win
ter and high water in the summer as
well as rapid currents all the time
not even coming here at all much over
seven months in the year. know this
sounds like high treason and may be
resented by some, but haven't we
reached a stage when the truth will
do us good and give us a better and
cleaner vision of things as they are?
We must also remember that no
matter how much money we may spend
on "harbor stuff" it will not deepen
the river to bring larger boats here
nor change other conditions noted.
With three trunk line railroads CEN
tering at Kennewick and another soon
to reach here, I hold and maintain
that Kennewick has no fear of lack