The Columbia Cascades Landing (Looking up stream).
These figures will be seen to have an important hearing on the subject of the next chapter.
CHAPTER XXIII.
The transportation question—Its importance—Present legal position— Oregon Railway and Navigation Committee's general report—That company —Its ocean-going steamers—Their traffic and earnings—Its river-boats —Their traffic and earnings—Its railroads in existence—Their traffic and earnings—Its new railroads in construction and in prospect—Their probable influence—The Northern Pacific—Terminus on Puget Sound—Its prospects—The East and West Side Railroads—"Bearing" traffic and earnings—How to get "control"—Lands owned by the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company—Monopoly—How threatened—The narrow-gauge railroads —Their terminus and working—Efforts to consolidate monopoly—The "blind pool"—Resistance—The Oregon Pacific—Its causes, possessions, and prospects—Land grant and its enemies—The traffic of the valley— Yaquina Bay—Its improvement—The farmers take it in hand—Contrast and comparisons—The two presidents—Probable effects of competition —Tactics in opposition—The Yaquina improvements—Description of works—The prospects for competition and the farmers' gains.
From all that has gone before, the deduction is plain that on the solution of the transportation question in the interests of the fixed and industrious population of the State depends absolutely the growth and prosperity of Oregon. Nature has done her part.
The words of Messrs. George M. Pullman, of Chicago, and William Endicott, Jr., of Boston, in their report of August 1, 1880, to the stockholders of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, will be echoed by every man who is now or has been in Oregon with eyes to see. They wrote as follows:
"Our observations afforded, in the first place, ample confirmation of all we had previously heard and read of the propitious climate, great attractions of scenery, and wonderful agricultural resources of Western and Eastern Oregon, and Eastern Washington Territory. We believe that in these respects those regions are not surpassed, if equaled, by any other portion of the United States. It can, indeed, be safely said that nowhere else in this country do rich soil and mild climate combine to the same degree in insuring such extraordinary results of almost every agricultural pursuit as regards quantity, quality, and regularity of yield.... The striking evidence of past and present growth which we found everywhere, forced at the same time the irresistible conclusion upon us that we were beholding but the beginning of the sure and rapid progress in population, productiveness, and prosperity which will be witnessed in the immediate future within the vast stretch of country watered by the great river Columbia and its numerous tributaries."
The reader of this book will, I think, admit that the facts herein detailed go far to justify the conclusions summed up in these few but carefully chosen words.