The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1918-02-21

Treasury. was kind enough to recon-
mend, but not always that. The
House took the river and harbor es-
Inmates for Oregon, as for other sta
ties, and grouped them into a river
and harbor bill; that bill would pass,
and go to the Senate; there millions
would be added-for other states,
but no additional appropriations
were authorized for Oregon-not in
late years. Oregon has been getting
what the House allowed, and no
more. The Senate has not raised
the Houses ante-not for Oregon.
Surveys and Promises Are All.
And irrigation projects! What a
record? Here is Oregon dumping
more money than any other state ex-
cept North Dakota, into the reclama-
ton fund, and getting back fraction
of what 1t put in. If the law had not
been amended some years ago, Ore
gon would have Jared better, but that
is past. The reclamation law was en-
acted in 1902; Oregon was early al
lotted two projects; neither of them
is anywhere near finished yet, though
begun Is or Is years ago, and as for
new projects. all Oregon gets is sur
veys and vague promises of some
thing to come in the dim and distant
future. In irrigation matters, Ore
gon is the goat.
OF course Oregon has had few ap-
propriations for public buildings; its
National forests are administered af-
ter fashion; It has got couple of
fish hatcheries, and a lot Of sundry
items Of that sort. But what do they
amount to! Look what other states
are getting.
Other States Reap Harvest.
When it came to passing the Ore
gon & California land grant bill, Ore
gon didn't get anything like what it
was entitled to; it got what an active
little bunch of conservationists said
1t should take. The Oregon delega-
tion was simply showed aside and
told, you take what we give you"
What is the result?' Millions of dol
lars that will come from the sale of
grant lands and grant timber are 60
ing into all the other states that had
no legitimate interest in or any claim
to our land whatsoever.
What's the reason for all this?
Why dts perfectly clear to anyone
who will spend few weeks in Wash
ington watching the Oregon delega-
ton at work-it's hardly fair to use
that word-let's say, watching the
Oregon delegation perform.
We've got in Congress a fine bunch
of letter-writers; they write nice, po-
lite communications requesting this
and that be done; they never insist.
But letter writing is all wrong down
here. Letters don't get you any
where in official Washington.
Action Is Required.
The Senator who delivers the goods
to his state is the Senator who doesn't
depend on letters, but who puts on
his hat, calls taxi, rides down to see
Secretary This or Secretary That, and
talks turkey straight from the shoul-
der, requesting nothing, but stating
very plainly and directly what he ex-
poets for his state and why he expects
it. And he doesn't do these things
till he's posted on his subject. He
knows what his state needs; what 1t
can do along certain line; what 1t
is entitled to, and all about it.
In other words, the Senator who
delivers the goods is, by training. a
business man, accustomed to busi-
ness methods. He knows his goods;
he knows how to dicker; he shows
some pep as we'll as knowledge, and
he carries home the bacon.
We've got to have such men repre-
senting Oregon or we'll continue to
pay the penalty for supporting fine
young bunch of ready letter wri-
ters." We need men who know Ore
gon, and, knowing the state, know
how to present Oregon's case at
Washington. Congress is filled with
lawyers; but we are not living In the
age of law; we are living in an age
of business-big business. We need
business men to look after our inter-
ests. II we don't pick them we won't
get our share of Uncle Sans busi-
ness; we'll get crumbs,-(From the
Portland Oregonian, Sunday, Febru-
ary 10, 1879