Year: 1862

Watchman, Tell us of the Night"


We have heard it rumored in certain cir
cles of late that the Oregon Steam Naviga-
ton Company have the comfortable sum of
forty thousand dollars already laid by for
use during the coming session of the Leg
islature, in securing the passage of an ex-
elusive charter to the portage at the Cas-
cades, IN Washington Territory. The re-
port came to us through high official in
the Territory, who stated that his sources
of information were such as to lead him to
believe that this sum was actually secured,
within the company, to effect the aforesaid
object. Whether the report is true or not,
matters but little. The public have already
had sufficient evidences to enforce the con-
viction that the attainment of such an OBJ
ject is the grand ultimatum of this steam
boat company, and these evidences have
been gathered from the operations of the
company itself during the past year. 1t is
true these schemes, directed as they are
against the most sacred rights of the peo-
pie, have been conducted in a clandestine
manner; but enough has appeared upon
the surface to clearly indicate their origin
and design. Their origin is attributable,
directly or indirectly, to the steamboat COM
pany, and their ultimate design is to shut
up to their own use the only commercial
channel connecting the upper country with
the marts Of trade below. That this COM
pany has in the past prostituted itself to
the base employment of pandering to the
cupidity of men by placing bribes before
them, in order to attain certain objects, is
a fact generally believed, and nobody doubts
that the same will be done again if it can
be made to result as heretofore to the profit
of the company. Setting aside, then, all
scruples of conscience as entirely foreign to
the practices of this company, the plain and
only question to be considered is, would
the securing of the Cascade portage be
profitable scheme? Situated as this port
age is-being the key to the commerce of
the entire upper country-and taking into
consideration the fact that it is only neces-
sary to secure it in order to give the Oregon
Steam Navigation Company the exclusive
control of all the shipping over the porta-
ges on both sides-as it is known that the
portage on the Oree on side is already owned
and controlled by the company-we must
at once conclude that the accomplishment
of such scheme would not only be of i'm
mense profit to the company, but it would
enable them to consolidate their operations,
and so enhance their advantages as to rem
der utterly futile all efforts of otker COM
panies to establish a permanent and remu-
nerating opposition.


The passage of an exclusive charter, more
especially to this company, would inevita-
bly, lead to the Inauguration of monopoly
so formidable as to drive from the river all
show of opposition, and secure the entire
shipping business to company as unscru-
pulous as they would be exhorbitant in
charges. 1t may be alleged that the char
ter granted would fix the prices which the
company would be entitled to charge for
transportation over the portage, thus redu-
cling in a measure the advantages to be de-
rived from it. If the charter they propose
to secure makes them common carriers and
fixes the rates to be charged, the people
may rest assured that the company will see
to it that all these provisions will be drawn
up to suit, the charter will be securely and
carefully framed, and the bill if passed at
all, will secure to the company all the PRIV
ileges they desire; so that our only de-
pendence for free trade and an untrammeled
commerce rests in the ability and will OF
the members composing the forthcoming
session of the Legislature to promptly and
empkatically repudiate all schemes, from
whatever source, having for their object the
shutting up of the great channel of the Co.
lumba to individual interests or monopo-
lies In the event of any attempt by this
steamboat company of the character intima-
ted, we sincerely hope that the members
who will compose the next session will have
the frmness and integrity to treat their
proposals as they deserve, by administering
to the company most whitening rebuke.
That such will be the fate of all similar
schemes, at the hands of the delegation
from the upper counties, we entertain no
doubts-as they we're elected upon this and
other issues of Importance to the upper
country and we have sufficient confidence
IN the members from the lower counties to
feel warranted in the conviction that any
and ali schemes that may be originated by
designing trieksters to barter away the
just rights Of the people end place them in
the hands Of nnserupnlous monopolists,
will meet signal and unqualified condem-
nation.


ANOTHER TOwE---A town site has been
laid off in Deer Lodge valley, at The juno
finn of Little Rlackfoot and Deer Lodge