The west shore., February 01, 1885, Image 1

THE WEST SHORE.
Vol. XI.
Portland, Oregon, Fuluutuy, ISSo.
No. 2.
ESTABLISHED 1878.
THE WEST SHORE.
An IUwttrated Journal of General Information, devoted to Se devrlopmnf of
the Ureal Welt,
fhiheortpUon prim, per annum , t'J m
To foreign oouutrien, including pontage,..;.,, , ,,, X 2ft
Hiugle oopiea Kb
HubMription win be forwarded by registered letter or poatal enter at our rink.
Poetmanteri and Nuwi Agenta will reoeive nubaoriptlona at abore ratea.
L. SAMUKL, Publliher, lit Front HU, eor. Washington, Portland, Or.
TABl.K OF CONTSSTS.
Page
linker County 7
lant Iron Cutlery Ml
Chronology of Kronta Hi
Kditnrial Ill
Orant County , ,,, , 41
Literary Notee. nil
Mnn of Oregon ,,,,, , tui
NotMot the Niirthweat . W
Pilgrim Cattle in Montana. 4
Halt and Hew Hill Want 4t
Hnmetliinir tor Everybody Ml
"The Little Hatflhvt" ( Ml
Training tikiplutnu Ml
A blue X nn thin paragraph Inillealea that your lulmorlptlon
plrea with thin number. I'leane renew at once.
Tranhi'oktation has not kept puce with the rapid set
tlement of the region lying on both Bides of Snake llivor
in Garfield, Asotin and Whitman oountiua, Washington
Territory, and Nez Fercd County, Idalio. It is estimated
that at the close of navigation on the river the prosout
season there were 00,000 tons of wheat yet uushippod.
The annual increase of acroago and consequent output of
that region is enormous, and yet there is no mcroase of
transportation facilities. If tho much-noodod railroad
from Riparia to Lewiston is not soon constructed, it is
hard to tell how the farmers of that region will ever be
able to market their crops.
The people of Oregon, through their officials and
those mercantile organizations which are supposed to
represent them, have made a sad mistake in permitting
Buch a Binall and totally insufficient exhibit to bo made
at New Orleans, one which fails to show many of oar
most important resources and industries; and they are
also making the greater mistake one which is not yet
irreparable, but soon will be of not supplying the Ore
gon Commissioners thore with an abundance of suitable,
exhaustive and attractive printed matter describing the
State and its resources and advantages.
Tm Oregon & California road, having defaulted in
tho interest on first mortgage bonds, has been placed in
the hands of receivers, at the instance of interested bond
holders. R. Koehler, Vice-President and Manager, and
A. Q. Cunningham have boon designated receivers by
tho court This is the first step of s number necessary
to place title to the road in tho bondholders, who have
for several years had actual control. When all legal
complications are terminated, Oregon will receive far
greater benefit from this most neoessary road than has
yet been derived.
The operations of timber land speculators have been
heretofore limited by the clause of tho Timbor Aot which
provides that only Buoh land may be puroliasod which is
valuable only for its timbor, and which, whon cleared,
shall not bo valuablo for agriculture Tho object of this
was to save all valuablo agricultural land for the occupa
tion of actual homostoad and pro-omption settlers. A
bill has boon introduoed by Sonator Dolph in tho United
States Senato modifying this section, bo that even agri
culturally valuablo timbor land may bo purchased under
tho Timbor Act This, should it pass, will open tho door
wido for tho speculators to acquire possession, by easy
and familiar means, of tho berst land in our foroHt regions.
Tho bill is supported by tho specious argument that it
costs moro to clear such laud than it is worth, and that
actual Bottlora cannot afford to undertako it This, in a
moasure, is true, but tho remedy lies not in facilitating
the oiorations of speculators, but in modifying the hoino
steml and pre-emption laws so that settlors will be ablo
to oloar tliuso lands at a much loss expense, even, pos
sibly, at a profit At present tho settlor is not permitted
to cut any timber, except such as is dono for actual and
bona fide improvement in tho pursuit of occupation and
cultivation of tho claim, until after ho acquires oomploto
title. Why not permit him to cut timber for market, not
to excood a certain limit mutually, and thus aid him to
improve his claim. Is it not hotter to thus assist the
actual settler than to permit speculators to soi.o upon
these same lands and oxclude the homesteader from them
entirely? Every step which makos it moro difficult for
tho Lomo-seekor to acquire land is a step in the Interest
of moueyod sjicculators, Kiul should receive the disap
proval of the pooplo of tho country.
Statistics of population based upon the numbor of
votoi cast at a general election aro but approximately
correct at the best No fixed ratio can bo relied upon, so
varied are tho conditions existing in different localities
and in different years, owing chielly to the uncertainty as
to what proportion tho vote cast Ixmrs to the full voting
strength of the community. Tho ratio of five persons to
one voter has generally lxien adopted in the West; but if
this is correct in tho older end agricultural sections, it is
obviously too high in tho miniirg regions and newly set-
tlod areas. In Washington Territory 15,705 votes were
cast in 1880, the United State census the sanio year
giving a population of 75,120. This is a shade under a
ratio of five to one. Allowing that among the immigrant
who liavo flocked to tho Territory during tho past four
years there is a greater proportion of single men than
there was among tho residents in 1880, it will 1m suffi
ciently conservative to estimate tho present ratio at four
to ono, which is certainly lower than appearance indi
cate. The vote in November, exclusive of women, wag