The evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942, 1916-03-25

I
There is no considerable area OF Ian
available to the poor settler west Q
the mountains. The only real offe
We have to make to farmers wit
small capital is on logged-off lands
and this suggestion Is unfortunatel,
disposed of by the cost Of from 81
to $3.50 an acre for clearing alone
/ as compared with $40 to $40 an acr,
for drained and irrigated lands eas
OF the mountains. or the few dollar'
for millions Of acres Of productiv,
dry land homesteads.
The area Of Eastern Oregon is 60.
900 square miles and Of Western Or
egon $4,000. The total tillable ares
east of the Cascades is 16,000.00t
acres. and west Of the Cascades g..
900, 900. OF Central Oregon's tillable
area Of 100000 acres only 8 pei
cent is really cultivated. while OF
Western Oregon's tillable area easily
available, probably less than 75 pei
cent is cultivated
Our towns are notoriously over.
built and our country is correspond
ingly empty. Sixty per cent Of Ore.
gon's people live in our towns. and
of Oregon's increase of $4,000 peo-
pie in the last decade, 213,000 came
to the cities and only $4,000 to the
country. In the state Of Washington,
two-thirds Of the people live east OF
the mountains building up the cities
on the Coast. In Oregon. three
fourths are west of the mountains.
mainly living OF each other.
While Eastern Oregon has only
800 miles of railway. Eastern Wash
ington has 2,100 miles. its building
greatly stimulated in the beginning
by the aggressive citizenship Of Sc
attic and Spokane. These modest be-
ginnings blossomed out into Ave
railroads across
Eastern Washington compared with
only one across Eastern Oregon, and
our single transconti-
mental railroad skirts only the ex-
treme northern and eastern limits of
the state. The territory east Of the
Cascades in Washington will not av-
erage any better than that east Of
the mountains in Oregon. We have
as large an arabic area, as much d.
versity in farm products. a much
greater livestock industry. and vast
y greater timber resources. Also a
better mineral country with larger
precious metal yield. Eastern Ore
zon dry lands average Just as good
Is those Of the Big Bend in Washing
on, and our irrigated area Of over
100000 acres compares favorably
With the similar country in our neigh
,oring state. Irrigation and drain
lge have brought great wealth to ev-
'ry far Western state. There is no
agriculture in Colorado. Utah. Ari-
ona, New Mexico and Nevada with
'ut irrigation. It has there stimu-
ated the building of many thousands
I miles Of railways. We must have
fair measure OF 1t in Central Ore
on to encourage railway building
here.
The i've counties of Central Ore
on with which am particularly |
are as big az Maryland,
'ermont, Massachusetts, New Jersey
nd Connecticut combined. Only
ome of them are reached at their
utter edges by rail. No less an au-
hority than James J. Hill fve years
60 prophesied for them population
{ half a million by this time. While
hey doubtless have the resources to
istify his opinion, their population
az only reached about 10 per cent
7 thise figures. When he uttered
IFS prophecy he of course had in
lew the great railway development
len promised. It was not made and
hile he may have been over-en-
lusiastic. I have no doubt that a
iarter of million people there
ould be swelling the commerce OF
ortland today II those railway ex-
nsions had been made. This would g
I your empty buildings and stimm- :
to every line Of business. a
You will therefore best help yonr-
Ives by extending your hands and ]
to those brave pioneers
juggling against great odds in Cen I
Il Oregon. You have no question
fore you half 90 big as the reclama- Q
N and adequate railway develop y
mt Of that territory. In fact. I q
not believe that all your public
and activities put together h
equal to this one great. over
ldowing problem Of railway de- Z