Year: 1878

in support Of . manifestly good
cause; but it takes q man Of gen.
ius to invent plausible arguments
IN support Of a bad cause. This
latter role the editor of the Ore
CONAN is now attempting with a
zeal and ability worthy of high
commendation from. his clients,
in advocating a renewal OF mo-
nopoly and special privileges to
a bankrupt corporation, without
taking any bond or guarantee
for the better management OF
the trust than heretofore. His
arguments, however, intended to
dl 7ert the attention of his read
ers away from, instead of to-
wards, the object he has in view,


a e


like efforts of q rover who looks
one way while rowing the other,
causes him frequently to,double
on himself. He has argued vlg-
orously that Mitchell is in the
pay and acting under the direc-
ton of the Central Pacific COM
pany; the proof being that his
bill provides for a subsidy to a
road to connect with the Union
Pacific, thus diverting from the
Central Pacific all the trade and
travel heretofore passing over
that road to this upper country.
He has frantically warned the
people of Oregon of the danger
to be apprehended from the pas
sage of the Mitchell bill in the
projected road falling under the
control Of Jay Gould; and now
tells them that the road cannot
be built because Jay Gould is
bound by contract with the Cen
tral Pacific not to aid in it's con-
struction or allow q connection
with it; just as if Jay Gould
could fulfill a contract to violate
the provisions of his charter
which do not permit him to re.
ject connections which any 9th.
er road may attempt to make
with him; or that he could OF
would refuse any grist that came
to his mill. With great ecla,
he heralded the fact that the
Railroad Board adopted the route
south of the Columbia river; but
strenuously opposes the only al.
tentative to guard against for
feiture and insure the construc-
ton of the road over that route


and is significantly silent in re
gard to a simultaneous resolu


ton by the same Board, order.
ing the survey of a route for q
branch road over the Cascades
IS near as practicable to the
north bank of the Columbia


proving conclusively that while
holding out this promise to Port.
land as matter of policy, the
Board took measures at the very
time to negative that promise, as
in case of their contract with
Olympia. He Processes to favor
the appropriation of the proceeds
of the sales instead of the fee
simple of the lands to railroad
purposes; but violently opposes
the only bill that contains such
a provision. He has repeatedly
charged Senator Mitchell with
having introduced his bill solely
from interested motives; to cur
ry popular favor in view of the
approaching Senatorial election,
and at the same time insists that
he does not represent the popu-
lar will. We know the editor
is nobody's fool-anythipg but
that; and we cannot imagine
that Mitchell is such an idiet as
to espouse an unpopular cause,
fraught with ruinous consequen-
ces to his constituents, solely for
the purpose of commenting him
self to popular support. With
out any inclination to censori-
BUSINESS; it is much more easy to
believe that the able editor of
the Oregonian had allowed his
personal prejudiees to lead his
judgment captive, or that he is
nnder contract fo1. a cona;doro