East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1921-01-10
IF WE CANNOT REDUCE THE DIVISOR LET US
INCREASE THE DIVIDEND

cation should be affirmative factor Oregon
4 N veopmen but the contrary takes negative attitude
the Oregonan being defender of high
The facts that the East Oregonan neither defender
critic present public expenditures Oregon Like any 9TH
taxpayer newspaper would like lower but
how they to be owered We do not know Neither does
the Oregonian DESPITE all the space devoted to the subject
the Portland paper offered single constructive sugges
on that could be of help the legislature any other tax
leyying body.
However that shorcoming may be forgiven To public
expenses when state institutions are suffering from inadequate
support and public employees are underpad easy
But the assumption that the wealth of Oregon cannot be in
creased because free public lands objectionable
Away with such piffle.
Has the development of California in recent years been
through settlement free public lands? Have Washington
Idaho public land than Oregon? Those
forging ahead while Oregon has all but stood STILL What the
answer? Manesty free government land has nothing to do
with the subject The good public land has been for
years Public land incident of the pioneer 1t
not be expected in this day and All the nation
gree states have been increasing wealth and population
without the settlement of free land Why cannot Oregon
go ahead?
Oregon has larger sparey populated than California;
any northwestern state thirds this hears
the of locomotive factory whistle the clang of an
electric There not paved highway in Eastern Oregon
outside of Umatila county
Now necessary that this big region should unused
and peopled There opportunities galore for develop
nen One merorous scheme the John Day project which
made reclaim 100000 land at moderate cost
1t estimated that fully developed the desert land of that
project could equal the Willamette valley in productivity
The John Day project be waterd either through of
the John Day water by of long canal or by pump
ing from the Columbia using the latent power at Umata rap
ids generate electricity for pumping purposes Take your
choice Here chance reclaim empire and to vastly In
crease the taxable property in Oregon
But Portland gotten Denlnd Ine move
Not single organization in the metropolis Of the state has taken
of fits coat to work for this great When big booster
eeng attended by 1000 people was held at Boardman last
May Portland newspaper Portland commercial organ
izaon had representative present though special invitations
given Portland indifferent to prospect OF securing
agricultural territory that would rival the farming region
between Eugene and Portland.
This no attempt prejudice against the metropolis
The Oregonan likes Portland and the Portland newspa-
pe Those newspapers the best IN the west IN most re-
specs they dead with respect the real development
possibilities of Oregonparculary regard to irrigation ana
the tourist business Washington and Idaho with no better ad
vantages than Oregon have danced the matter OF water
the desert and they stopping In washington pow
erfu move is underway to put the Columbia basin project
end 100000 has been raised for the preliminary work
the Coumbuia basin project merorous be- is by no
as feasible the John Day project and will be much
harder swing will be noted however that Washington is
not quitting on that account and they gone far
as to ask the presdenect defer selection of secretary of
interior until he hear delegation with facts as TO ne
Columbia basin project MrHarding acceded their request
and quite likely does not Oregon has irrigation needs
Oregon is afflicted with under development We carp IN
camna9n times abou not getting enough reclamation money
during the of the make real effort TO get
the money We have potential hydro electric energy
than other state and rely outside coal and OIL Tor 1ue
Many Oregon newspapers printed made IN Canada
because they get Oregon paper We ship wheat TO
Michigan where it converted into breakfast food and sent
back tables We send wool to New England where 1t IS
made into clothing and returned at high prcess we let
hundreds of thousands of tourists to California and rave
surpassed both respects All the world knows about Yo-
semitic Rainier park and Lake Chean No knows about
Waowa lake and few about Crater lake These scenic places
they hotels There hotel at all
Waowa lake and the at Crater lake has been subject
Of unayorable We at last getting some good
roads at the auto owners expense and important
play the highway expenditures part OF the taxpayers
burden in order to prove taxes excessive.
empire builder Old Man Oregon first class oafer
He lets the ranch unframed and complains at mother be
she needs dress and thinks the children should have
shoes Oregon was the first northwest state dlscovered
il has yet discovered itself We should wake and tn
newspapers should be the alarm clocks The Portland Orego
would do well to hum song of development and sto
worrying because the public land all taken and taxes nave
gone We cannot we'll reduce the dvsor but we have goo
chance to enlarge the dividend,