258
WEST SHORE.
An Illuttrated Journal publiihed tttry Saturday by tht Writ Short PMnhng
Company, Portland, Oregon, and Spokant FalU, Hraiinjfm.
L. (AMUIL, Oeneral Managar, .
Subicriptioit Price, flOO per Year. Single Copy, 10 Ctnti.
The WilT 8ho offera the Beat Msdlum for Advertiser! of any
publication on the Paolflo Coast.
ffrl n tht Pott Offlct in Portland, Onom,for trarwoiuion through tht mailt at
tteond elnu rata.
SATURDAY, DKCEMHBR 6. 1800.
r,A York we could not move all the caw over a tingle
Mellon in a nut shell. The Columbia rive, is tie
route designed by nature as an outlet (or the products of that region, and
all efforts to force tbem over the mountains mast be extremely costly and
to a degree futile. The Hunt road down the Columbia should be built at
Wiht Siiobk for December 13 will be the holiday number, double the
regular size and beautifully illuminated in colors. It will be the handsom
est publication of any kind ever issued on the Pacific coast, and will rival
the Christmas edition of any illustrated paper in the country. The usual
price of holiday Issues, twenty-five cents, will be charged, and those desir
ing extra copies should order them at once. All regular subscribers will
receive this number free, also all new subscribers for 1801 until the issue is
exhausted.
Winter has not yet sent In his card.
Congress has reassembled and Immediately there are announcements
of three prlje fights.
The present position of the republican senators and the elections bill is
like that of the man who had hold of the bear's tail and found it hard to
let go.
The first " heaviest gals known for years " has already occurred on the
Atlantic coast off Halifax. With such an early start there ought to be at
least a dozen " heaviest " this season.
If President Harrison could have given " Bus." a four-year sleeping
draught he would have saved the administration considerable annoyance
from the commercial instincts of that enterprising gentleman. Rub. evi
dently looks upon the presidency as a family perquisite.
At last Minister Miner, who disgraced himself and dishonored his
country In the Itarrundia affair, has had his disgrace officially confirmed
and been recalled from his mission to Central America. Tbe extreme de
liberation of the state department has lost what little prestige the recall of
tbe unfaithful servant might have given us. Prompt action should have
been taken to show that the American flag has both the will and power to
protect all beneath Its folds.
The Parnell squabble Justifies a reprint of the Kilkenny cats story for
the edification of the rising generation. There Is more or less similarity In
the cases of Parnell and our own silent statesman, Quay, and the mistake
of keeping either of them at the head of his party Is evident. When a man's
personal reputation becomes so unsavory that he repels rather than attracts,
it Is time to depose him from leadership, and the fact that he endeavors to
hold on when the dictates of patriotism should Impel him voluntarily to re
tire, Is one of the best reasons why he should be dethroned.
Home Idea of the delightful weather of the past month can be gathered
from Uie following summary of the V. 8. signal officer at Portland for the
the month of November: Cloudless days, Id; partly cloudy days, 9;
cloudy days 5; days on which .01 of an Inch of rain fell, 8; total precipita
tion half an inch, or 0.28 Inches less than the average and the least of any
November on record; highest temperature, 73 degrees; lowest, 30 degrees
on 10th and Kith; mean 47.2; killing frost on Oth with thermometer at 32
degrees. There are now indications that the long-delayed rain is at hand
and that the ground will soon be in fine condition for cultivation, lioees and
all kinds of hardier flowers are In full bloom In and about Portland.
Tbe advantages of the water level route down tbe Columbia for the
wheat of the Inland empire over the mountain route to the sound, were
never better stated than by Superintendent McCabe of tbe Northern Pacific,
in an Interview published In the Tacoma papers. He said: " We can't
move more than l'JO cars a day over the mountains on a single track. There
la a tremendous grade between Tacoma and Ellensburgh, and that makes
travel hard. If that grade was not there we could Improve things consider
ably. In crossing the mountains the grade is so great that It takes two
large engines to move a train of ten cars. If we had all tbe engines be-
Testimony before tbe congressional committee on Immigration at its
session in Portland was somewhat conflicting, though the weight of it was
miast the desirability of Chinese as residents of this country. While
Wist Phork is of the opinion that the absence of Chinese would be a bless
ing it does not base its views upon prejudice. It does not object to the
Chinaman because be works steadily and saves his money. Indeed, these
are tbe only redeeming traits he possesses. Would that Americans, both
native and manufactured, would emulate his example in this. If they did,
one of the greatest causes of sin, misery, poverty and woe would be removed
from our midst. Tbe great reason for objection to the Chinaman is that he
is a representative of an alien and absolutely unreconcllable civilization.
He is not, and never can be, Americaniied. He never can become a useful
citizen, and it is citizens we want In this country, not mere Industrial slaves.
America's strength and boast are her Intelligent free labor and manhood.
It is our pride and the very essence of our national life, that labor is honored
and dignified and the laborer Is paid for his toil enough to enable him to
live in comfort with his family and enjoy the natural pleasures of life. In
asmuch as the Chinaman's presence here tends to lower this standard and
degrade labor ; inasmuch as his method of living is beneath that our civil
ization and customs demand ; inasmuch as the competition of his labor with
ours tends to draw us down to bis level, he is undesirable, and the sooner
the country is rid of him the better. It is no argument In his favor to say
that we have other elements that are undesirable. If a man have a sore eye
does be neglect to cure it because he also has a sore foot? It Is true that
we have representatives of other nationalities In our midst, chiefly congested
in eastern cities, that are doing us an incalculable damage as a people, and
every effort should be made to rid ourselves of them, or, at least, to prevent
an increase of their numbers. They not only degrade our labor, Increase
crime and immorality, but through our own reckless error in giving them the
ballot add a corrupting and corruptible element to our politics that Is a dis
grace to our national manhood and a serious menace to our free institutions ;
but this is a question distinct from the Chinese Issue, and as they are sep
arate and can be treated apart from each other, let us not confound them,
but give each the attention Its gravity deserves.
Considerable space Is given this week to three subject that bear a
more or less close relation to each other and are all of prime importance to
the Pacific northwest, and especially to Portland. They are the Nicaragua
canal, the wheat blockade and the manufacturing interests at Oregon City.
Nothing so emphasizes the necessity of a shorter route to European markets
as the present congested condition of the wheat market. A voyage of
six months to convey wheat to Liverpool Is too long to satisfy the conditions
that now prevail. It is impossible to secure enough tonnage to accommo
date the crop. Were the voyage reduced one-hall in length and tbe Nic
aragua canal will do more than that the same tonnage would carry almost
twice as much grain. Vessels would not be tied up so long with a tingle
cargo. This, however, Is not the only trouble. There is a woeful lack of
facilities for conveying grain to the seaboard from east of the mountains.
Another crop next year of equal average yield to this will produce a still
greater blockade unless great improvement be made in facilities for hand
ling it, since the acreage increases largely every year. The absolute neces
sity to Portland, and the interior as well, of the construction of the Hunt
road down the Columbia can not be stated too strongly. Unlike other roads
that have been built in the weat It is behind the demand. It would pay
from the first day it began operation. The situation also calls for the open
ing of the river as tbe only permanent relief, and it is gratifying to know
that tbe bill for a boat railway at Celilo will be pushed vigorously in con
gress this winter. Intimately connected with these subjects Is that of the
manufacturing Industries at Oregon City, where is to be found the greatest
available single water power in the United States. With the canal open
for traffic, to that markets on the Atlantic coast may be reached, there is
no reason why this magnificent power should not be utilized In p'eparing
the products of this region for the general market. No seaport city in tbe
world has at her very door such a wealth of energy for manufacturing pur
poses as Portland possesses in the fall of the Willamette, and it Is inevi
table that enormous manufacturing Interests shall spring up there; and tbe
business men of Portland should aid those of Oregon City In their efforts to
secure them, since the greatest benefit will in the end be reaped by tbe me
tropolis. The national board of trade will convene at New Orleans next
Monday, and the delegates from the Portland chamber of commerce will
call for a discussion of tbe Nicaragua canal question with the object of do
ing all possible to assist that great enterprise and awaken the people to Its
national importance.