Year: 1873




which point it is at times, very i'm
portant to receive information,) but
must pass on through wilderness to
Victoria. Ben. has built two short
railroads for the soul purpose of
freighting his steamers TO San Fran
cisco from Portland, and has perhaps,
with that object in view, succeeded in
destroying the land subsidy granted
by Congress for railroad to this
place, and prevented for a time the
construction of road. But Ben.
Holiday is not the Almighty, aud
neither is Portland a seaport town
There were many inventions and plans
devised IN former generations, bnt
they never entertained the absurd
idea of building seaport town a
hundred and twenty-five miles in the
interior Of country, and then dig
ging ditch to float sea-going vessels
TO it. That invention was left for
this generation. For absurdity, it
has but one parallel; and that is, for a
woman to put on breeches, and think
herself man. The press of Portland
are constantly boasting about what
Uncle Sam will do TO complete their
ditch. They got a L. S. engineer to
look through convex glasses and re-
port to Washington Mobiliers that
twenty, thirty. or forty thousand dol
lars more Of the peoples money
would complete the job in the Viii
lamettc River. They have not yet
estimated the cost TO their Uncle.
of removing all the sand flats on down
the river 10 Tongue oint; and | think
it will be sufficient 10 make Bramin
Priest laugh, when they can see their
ditch digger at work in Cathlamett
Bay; just think of it your self, Mr..
Editor, and laugh. They have long
stick with spoon on the end. they
stick that down TO the bottom, and
whatever it brings up they dump into
scow, TO be dumped again into the
river, to contribute in forming another
bar. In good fresh see breeze
they have lively time, the rvier
being from Ten TO twenty miles wide,
and the rollers sufficiently large to
shake the sand ont Of their spoon
before they can dump it into the fiat.
In this manner, they think OF making
great highway for commerce, SO
that lin the language OF the Portland
papers) all the Navies of the world
can ride on the broad waters OF
Portland lIarbor. That view of the
matter looks grand and imposing,
bu: on nearer aud more critical
view il don't appear SO. But few
days since, two ships started from
Portland on their way down the river;
the foremost ship happened to have a
few sacks of wheat too many. and
stuck in the channel, blocking it up so
that the hindmost ship was com
PEELED to wait until her turn came
The buncomb of the Portland papers
reminds me of the great King
Nebuchadnezzar, who walked in his
palace aud said, ''is not this great
Babylon that | have built by THE
might of my power and for the majes.
ty of my kingdom" and the same
how he was driven out to grass. a
similar fate may await the great
men who now control the commerce
of Oregon, and who crush the tiller
of the soil to bankruptcy. The con
dition of our commerce now would
have made wise statesmen blush fif
teen years ago, but in these days
of Mobilierism, when the public
man that can steal the most money
is looked upon as the greatest; it i:
| considered a matter of moment.
have made this communication toe
long already, yet the half has not beer
been told. shall probably no,
trouble you again on this subject, as
| have almost completed my seven
tieth circuit around the orb of day, or
this terrestrial ball, consequently, ]
expect soon to move to better coun
try, where, if the eigth verse of the
21st Chapter of Revelations be cor
rect, land who can debut it p 1 shall
not see nor hear of a Portland editor


PIONEER.


The reverence in which the mem
ory of George Washington is helt
| even by those who are of tender