WEST SHORE.
PUBLISHED IVCRY SATURDAY.
L SAMUEL, Publisher, j gSVJ8fwashlngton.
tnterrtt in th Pott Offlct in Portland, Ortumjor tranmluitm through
ih mailt at ncond clou rain.
SUBSCRIPTION RATI8 Strictly In Advano.
Ont Yir, .... $4,00 1 Three Monthi, M
III Monthi, .... i.i I Single Copiei, .10
tV Coplei will In no cie b unt to ubicriben beyond the term
paid for.
The Wist 8hori offers the Best Medium for Advertis
ers of any publication on the Pacific Coast.
Hnturduy, DhiiiIni' 21, IhhO.
FOR some tinio Wkht Siiohk has recognized tho ad
visability, and even necessity, of establishing an
, ollice of joint publication in ono of tbe leading
eitit'g of Washington. After looking the entire
field over, it hnH decided that it can bent serve its thou
sands of readers by selecting tho enterprising city of
Spokane Falls fur that purpose, and, therefore, be
ginning with this issue, Wkht Siiohk will bo pub
lished simultaneously in Portland and Spokane Falls.
In dividing to take this most important step, it is
moved by tho fact that Eastern Washington, Northern
Idaho and Western Montana comprise an empire in
extent, a region of tho richest and most varied re
sources, which is filling up with an energetic class of
jMHiplo at a inarvelously rapid rate, ami that tho one
financial, commercial and manufacturing centre of
this great country is the city of Spokano Falls, whoso
growth is phenomenal even in this land of rapidly
building cities. Tho unrivaled osition that city holds,
its magnificent water power and its present and fu
ture prospects as a railroad centre, had attracted at
tention everywhere before the great fire which laid
its business blocks in ashes a few months ago; but its
resurrection from its ruins, its marvelous rccuicrative
Hwcr, its wonderful development since that great
catastrophe have made it the most remarkable city
in tbe world to-day. It is to-day tho meeting point
of seven railroads and will always remain the one great
railroad centre of that vast region. It is surrounded
by, and 's the most accessible to, the greatest num
ber of rich mining districts tributary to any city in
tbe west. Contiguous to it are thousands of square
miles of arable land, whoso products amount in value
to millions of dollars annually. It imwosscr a water
H)wer of unrivaled magnitude in the west, which
must of nm-ssity make it a largo manufacturing city,
and which is already utilized by extensive industries.
It is a city in which brains, energy and canity ;n
- j n m 1
accomplish marvelous things during the next decade f
and to portray this for the benefit of the millions of
our common country is the happy task West Shore '
has undertaken.
A year ago tourists entered Oregon through the
door of California. They seemed to think that the
first thing to do was to visit the land of orange groves.
sand and town lot booms, after which some of them
would spend what little time or money they had left
in a hasty flight north. This season there is a mark
ed change. Thousands are pouring into Oregon and
Washington from the east, while the cars of southern
lines are running empty. A few of them pass on
down to California, but the great majority find that
the northern states possess irresistible attractions,
and spend their time looking up paying investments.
Next spring and summer will witness such a swarm
ing into Oregon and Washington as will completely
swamp all routes of travel and houses of entertain
ment. There is not a city that will be able to furnish
roofs under which the new arrivals can live, unless it
build a hundred per cent, more dwellings than it
erected the past year. Anything we have yet exper
ienced in tho line of immigration will appear dwarfed
and insignificant in comparison with the tide that will
begin to roll in upon us in the early spring. Houses,
stores, factories, building lots and farms will be in
greater demand than ever before.
Congress will be asked to make liberal approprii-
tions for public buildings in Oregon and tho new states 1
of Washington, Montana and the Dakotas. In some
of our cities such buildings are so badly needed that
it seems impossible to longer conduct ofiicial business
without them. In Portland, the postollice, though
employing more than twice as many clerks as it did
four years ago and handling more than twice the bus
iness, still occupies a little nook that was too cramped
for it fivo years ago. The same is true of nearly
every growing city, and Uncle Sam should provide
letter facilities immediately.
The Northwestern Association of congressmen ii
growing liko the product of the mustard seed, and
gives promise of developing into a close union of U
the states west of tho Missouri, including Minnesota.
With increaso in membership comes an enlargement
of scope and a demand for more commodious quarters.
H is questionable if this association of members on
sectional grounds does not contain the germ of Pn
ciplo of sectionalism that may be carried to sn ex
treme affecting injuriously the welfare of the nation.