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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1883)
946 THE WEST SHORE. October, 1883. w" .TrwKCf 1". .. " ! a. Garfield county assessment shows a population of 4,141 and 943 dwellings. Bradford is the name of a new town to be laid out on Vashon island at Bradford bay, 01 Trumps harbor, about midway between Tacoma and Se attle. The improvements already made nt the new town on Ijickamas creek, Clarke county, where the paper mill is to be erected, consist of two dams completed and a third under way, a saw mill, town site laid out and a dozen houses erected. Centerville is a rapidly growing town on the Chehalis river in Lewis county. Two saw mills and a grist mill contribute to its prosperity and surrounding it is a large expanse of fine agricul tural land. Much building is being done this season. Improvements in New Tacoma are advancing rapidly. The new hotel, a numlier of large store buildings, and many residences are making good progress. The Neto$ has recently taken its place by the side of the Mgtr in the list of daily pa. pert, A free library association has been formed, Efforts are being made to have old and new Ta coma Incorporated under one charter. New ad ditions are continually lieing Inid out and the city is spreading ifi all directions. A new town is being laid out in the Dig liend country west of Grand coulee and about fifteen miles from the Columbia. It will be called Okanagon in honor of the great river which empties into the Columbia twenty-four miles to the north. The names' of the founders of the new town are John W. Adams, Walter Mann, John Dickey, E. W. Hadley and Stewart Barnhart, They have made arrangements for establishing a store, a good hotel, a blacksmith shop, a land of fice ami several other business houses there at once. From the new town of Okanagon settle. menl may spread out for Iwenty-hve miles in every direction in almost uninterrupted compact nets, The town site occupies a slight elevation from which is afforded a magnificent view of the surrounding country. One hundred and fifty miles directly eastward is Spokane Falls. Sweep. Ing (at around in the north is the Columbia river, into which empty the Okanagon and the Mathow, A few miles westward is the beautiful lake Che. Ian and a little to the southwest is the mouth of the Wenatchie. Far off In the west may be seen the great snow-rlail eaks of the Cascade moun tains and not far In the noilh lies the great miner. al region recently surrendered by Chief Moses. All things considered we shall expect to see the new town and its surrounding country grow with great rapidity. The following interesting paragraphs are taken from the recent report of Gov. William A. New. ell to the legislature! Intemperance in the use of intoxicating liquors is engaging the attention of philanthropists, po litical economists, deluded votaries, victims and all taxpaying citizens, as a question of the high est magnitude and importance. The fearful de struction of property and happiness which it oc casions in its march of desolation, disease and death; its far-reaching, deteriorating congruen ces upon unborn generations; the withdrawal from the industries of mankind of the wealth of labor which it neutralizes and absorbs; the diver sion into deadly channels, of breadstuffs, and the reduction of flesh food which it involves; the vice, degradation and crime which it engenders; the cost in varied forms incident to the adminis tration of justice, to be paid from the labor of in dustrious and prosperous citizens; all these, with no redeeming or compensating influences for good, may well cause it to lie a subject of greatest solic itude to our race. The right of society to pro tection by suitable legislation from the effects of evils so manifest will not be denied. Indeed government is but a mutual compact for the pres ervation of person, life and property. The citi zen cedes certain natural rights with the assur ance and agreement, that by giving of his means as taxed, for its support, and venturing, if needs be, his life for its defence, he shall have all pos sible protection from danger or damage from any source. The right to abate an evil clearly argues a right to effect its prohibition. It will be your province as faithful guardians to protect by means however stringent, the public purse, to repress vice, to foster by all possible means the health, happiness and prosperity of our people. Intemperance is not excessive in this territory. Some of our largest counties have few or no facil ities for free indulgence in intoxicating liquors, and temperance is urged with quiet zeal and discretion. Thirteen thousand Indians occupy fifteen reser vations, which contain seven millions of acres of the best agricultural, grazing, timber and mineral lands of the territory, using them variously for hunting, fishing, farming and strolling; besides the use of which they receive liberal assistance from the government in the guardianship of agents, the benefit of physicians, mediiines, hos pitals, schools and teachers, while donations for food, clothing and implements for forest and land. They cannot make proper use of these vast domains, and dn'not appreciate their advnn (ages, whilst its possession and occupation are lost to a large body of Americans, who, by culti vation,' would make it highly productive. It would conduce greatly to the good of the people if the government would negotiate for the return of these valuable lands; abolish tribal relations; place Indians on the same tooting with other people in securing a share of the public lands, making their landed possions inalienable for a proper period; abolish the present Indian system with all Its complications and cost; remanding all Indians to tbe operation ol the laws by which other people are governed. The process will crt ate no shock of properly administered, but will on the contrary be easy of operation, and ultimately inure to the good of the Indians by compelling them to labor for a living. Their wants are few and simple, they are astute and crafty in affairs and can fully take care of themselves, and demonstrated in numerous instances will glide readily from their present semi-barbarous state into a condition ol civilization and useful ness. immigration is pouring in upon us and these lands are needed now for intelligent hus bandry. The present plan requires the expendi ture of much money, cultivates a lazy, vagabond life incomprehensible to people who do not wit ness their manner of living, which is utterly in consistant with American habits, and delays the rescue of the Indians from the abominations of his savage state. The public sentiment of the people of this territory is unanimously in favor of a change as proposed. A territorial bureau of immigration is a chief necessity to increase our population, and to pro vide those persons who seek a residence here with information directing them to what part of our vast domains they shall go to obtain suitable homes adapted to their inclinations and require ments. Many people come.wilh but little means for continued travel. It is not right to invite them hither and allow them to spend their small possessions in searching for final settlement. In many new countries it is of but little, consequence where the pioneer may land for a great similarity pervades the whole, here the reverse is quite true, and no man who comes uninlormed can without much delay of time, and expenditure of money, reach a proper conclusion on the important sub ject of selecting his future place of residence. A bureau should be organized upon an economical basis, extending its operations east and west of the mountains alike with sufficient means to pro vide for the distribution of papers; a burden which falls heavily upon a few persons who should not be expected to contribute extensively in such a direction. The application of Washington territory for admission into the Federal Union as a state, is attracting the attcntton of the country. . Our ability to sustain a state government and our claim to admission based upon resources and population which are the only reasonable re quirementsare conceded. Our people are quite unanimously in favor of the measure, desiring to be possessed of rights and privileges exercised by other American citizens, in the election of presi dent, vice president, as well as represntalives in both branches of congress, so that our welfare may be maintained not only in debate, but in votes, and also to choose our own officers of state. We are now discounted of proper import ance by being made tributary to adjoining states, and dependent upon them for executive and leg islative obligations, If there be any doubt as to the population required to entitled us to a mem ber of congress, a new census would solve the question. The people of the territory have al ready adopted a state constitution preparatory to admission, which instrument is generally regarded as being too voluminous and cumbersome, con taining many provisions which might properly I embodied in statutory enactments, and others m adapted to our presrnt and advanced require ments. The propriety of providing for a new and unobjectionable organic instrument is submitted to your consideration without recommendation, in deference to your full information as to the wish of the people upon that subject. A conventiou would involve great expense, which might be avoided at thia time by securing admission as a state contingent upon the adoption of a constil"4 (ion satisfactory to our people and the president f the United States, or of congress, if in session-