ETT15
Vol. XLHI.
Corvaijljs, Benton County, Oreoox, Tuesday; February
-
FREE LOCKS AMD OPEN RIVER
Judge W. S, McFadden's Address Before
the Willamette Valley Development
. League in Albany Recently
Why Corvallis wants an open
river presents an inquiry of prac
tical importance that should
deeply interest the people of the
Upper WUamette. My subject
is oue material, wholly devoid of
matters imaginative or those that
rest on theorizing. The little
that I may hv; to offer is ad
dressed to men of mature year,
whose aims and act 4 must be
along the lines of active work,
embodied in and emphasized on
the actual material things that
concern the utmost development
of the state.
An open river has long been
the theme of talk with no action
on the part ot the people. We
have had a personal knowledge
of the present order of things for
more than thirty years 1 .st past
-still, we have rested in quieude
as dreamers. Nothing h - take n
the form of organized effort. It
would have been proper and cer
tainly more respectful to vou had
I reduced to writing in due form
what I present; but the art ot
writine is to a great extent a
sealed if not a laborious work to
me, hence, from the standpoint
in which I find myself placed,
extemporizing crazy-quilt fash
ion, with the chances of more
misses than hits, is my condition
todav. and which is destined to
be more fully exemplified as I
proceed. I
The Willamette river is n
entire proposition an entity, ad
when we speak of an open river
we mean from its source to its
mouth. To the .shame and d is
grace of the state an embargo
has been placed on the open river
by a corporation. In round
figures $300,000 has been con
tributed out of your state treas
ury for the construction of the
Oregon City locks. It is true
our legislature, as a gratuity to
the people, affixed to this contri
bution of the state's cash certain
rights of purchase in behalf of
our state, as well recoupments
by way of the fixing of interest
to accure; but all the rights of
the people and the state were
permitted to sleep the sleep of
death by those who under the
fictions of the constitution were
supposed to protect the rights of
the state. The right of purchase
of the locks and the original
rights of the people were allowed !
to lapse and the statute of limita
tions has long since run against
the interest. We have thus
been robbed and victimized but
of our God-given birthright and
now Western Oregon like the
rich man, Dives, who after pass
ing irom the glories of this life,
lifted up his eyes being in hell
in great torment. My scriptural
simile is indeed imperfect, ex
cepting only in the position in
which we find ourselves; for the
people of the valley are not fully
enjoying the "good things of
this life" as did Dives, nor are
our fellow co-workers in Abra
ham's bosom, but instead we all
seem to be very much in the
clutches of that soulless thing at
the locks. Still, to be facetious,
our yearly tribute of $100,000
and the state s bequest 01 300,
000 to that corporation might
well be classified under the
head of "the good things of life."
The free-will donation of our
river that was given us by na
ture as our common carrier and
reducing our people to the con
dition of beasts of burden for
tolling in freight and other ex
actions may be some of the good
things of life for that artificial
personage that holds the locks,
but is worm wood and gall to the
common people.
We are to deal with material
and substantive matters today.
The open river is a practical
proposition and has much to do
with the devolopment of Western
Oregon. Mr. Westbrook has re
duced to a minute demonstration
to vou a few minutes since that
our people are paying tribute to
this corporation in tollage, an
nual v. at least 100,000.
Everv ton of freight through
the locks means fifty cents out
of pocket as well as on every ton
carried bv rail. The grim toll
collector at the locks' with its
clam-like hand dots down every
horse and head of cattle 25 cents;
each ooor old sheep ten cents:
A. "
every sack of potatoes, sugar, or
oth r sack of produce, etc., pass
ing through the gilded gates
must pay its tribute; eaca Dale
ot hay a nickle in the slot, and
each bale of hops its stipend of
ten cents. In short, this lockage
charge stands knocking at every
door in the valley nagging
every purse string. If you look
toward Portland you will always
see it in the river with palm ex
tended demanded tribute, tribute!
It has actually chained up the
river as a generating power plant
for electrical purposes and exacts
tribute from Portland, at so
much each candle power. We
are, therefore, in the language of
President Cleveland, confronted
i "with a condition, not a theory."
i -Under the recognized system
' in which we are to work it must
1 he 1 n a representative form. The
I individual factor in every com-
munity is always on the ground
floor and" we' "are deemed to ac
complish' legitimate and proper
ends by and through those wno
are called upon to represent us in
official capacity. -
You may say: "What has our
legislative body to do with our
advancement, since we suffer
mainlv from the bliehts of its
official misrepresentation?" The
answer is 'Correct tnat evu, ana
establish a different order fix a
standard 'j for your legislative
members in mentality, work and
character in the channels they
are expected to work." If we
are to have an open river, or any
thing else that is open, we must
make a radical departure from
our old lines. In the lines of
progress and an eye single to the
betterment, of. our interests, it
would be wise for us to take an
invoice of that galaxy of states
men who assumed to represent
us in the legislatures of five or
ten vears ago, and inspect them
carefully. What you will hnd
to be true of them will probably
be a fair test of the caliber of
those who , have gone before, as
well as those who have budded
and bloomed since. Consider
that body at any given period in
the history of the State as an
entirety. Put them under your
eye and see the large ' per cent
that will average at the rate of
one fibre of wool to each sack of
shoddy; and then ask why the
river is clogged and state devel
opment frost bitten.
Your invoice will give you the
right answer. Many of those
one-fibre characters are now in
existance ia different parts ot the
stale under the guise ot reiormers
at this time, vet always promot
ers, but with their bauds out for
a soft "snap."
Mv talk, as I before stated.
must be on the crazy quilt order,
and I'm to be allowed much lati
tude so long as I am within the
subject of State progress.
The need of our day is men o:
standing and identity: men who
9
stand for and represent" some
thing that concerns the people.
For sure, winners under the old
established order, we sought for,
and were usually lortunate in
finding. a nonentity destitute of
stamina with absolute neutrali
ty of tint, who was never known
to have an idea on any subject,
except the weather: who never
x 9
collided with anybody and as
vertebraless as a asning worm,
who stands , for no principle a
negative factor in the body poli
tic; and representing nothing ot
worth except a genial smile and
the "glad hand shake" and you
have an ideal man for legislative
timber
We largely larder up our legis
latures with that quality of material-
in fact, those are the chief
characteristics of the the meu, so
called, whom we delight to honor.
Is it any wonder ws have gratt
ers, boodlers and place hunters
whose sole aim is to make mer
chandise out of their positions
and sacrifice all the substantial
interests of the people, who use
the state tund as a trading base
for some litile hungry local inter
est hid in the state that Mr.
Negative represents among the
law makers of the state? Have
vou not seen at numerous times
Salem law makers of this type
spending lorty days ana torty
nights in a fight for Uuited States
senator jumping into the passing
band wagon of the triumphant
senator at the last minute of the
last hour of the session and rak
ingin the receivership or other
shin or nlace as a reward for the
faithful performance of duty to
his admiring constituents? How
noblv is filled the duty ot a sacred
trust. It is right and proper that
we should have faith in each
other if we are to accomplish
anything; but that taith should
be based upon works and acts. -We
have learned in the bit
ter school of experience, that
that there is much more ot crook
ed misrepresentation than straight
representation. it is up to us to
correct this evil, or still suffer
the consequences.
Ibis a nart vot . the unwritten
historv cfOregon ' that a member
of the senate who prepared the
Lock Bill received Si. 000 on tne
side from a disinterested patriot
who desired to show his appre
ciation of the provisions 01 tne
. 4
bill. It was merely a iree spon
taneous offering to the poor sen
ator, who could not anord to
serve his state under the consti
tutional salary of $3.00 per day.
It would not tend to precipitate
development to pursue lurtner
how signally the public was out
raged in all matters pertaining
to the Lsck 5ill.
While this corporation was year
by year tightening its clutches on
the river, the biennial legislatures
were absorbed largely in whom
was to go to the U. S. Senate or
in what might be extracted from
the treasury for pet schemes for
dear friends or for special inter
ests. It is not within my power
to indict that body; if I could the
statutes of limitations would be
invoked and the indictment fail
These strictures do not apply to
all members of that honorable
bodv. We have had many sub
tantial men there who honestly
represented us; but unfortunately
they nave always been in a nope-
less minority. In passing, it is
to be remembered that a young
member of that body from Old
Linn did produce a bill for the
purchase of the Locks in behalt
of the state, under the provisions
of the Lock Bill: that it was re
ceived in a frigid atmosphere and
soon found its way into the hands
of a hostile .committee and died a
speedy death, even though un-
honored and unsung. JNo sor
rowful tsar drop fell from the eye
of any member, and bo one at
those obsequies said: "Peace to
vour ashes." In some myster
ious way the right kind of balm
was applied and the inevitable
followed: The state was buncoed
and our legislative cohorts ie-
turned to their admiring con
stituents -wreathed in garlands
and were lovingly received with
due honors by admiring consul.
uents. This same spirit of gen
erosity that characterized our j
legislative body was prior to the
date of the Lock Bill emphasized
on the part of the general govern
ment by our Congressional dele
gation; our representatives in
Congress, for they, too, were en
gaged on the lines of state devel
opment. Big grants ot public
land to the railroad with
the modest limitation of forty
miles on either side of the con
templated road-bed, with llieu
lands to make up shortages, in
sured home-builders, and would
make the waste places bloom as
the rose. Wagon road grants
from the public domain bloomed
forth in golden colors because
under the terms of the grants
public roads lor the use of the
home-builders was a certainty.
The titles to the lands left the
. luuicm and vested in the
; scade the Yquina Bay, etc.,
Wagon Road Companies. The
V gon Companies had built tne
o ds as pm- the terms of the
grant, all of which was made to
appear by proper, certincates
after 'actual examination.
A few scratches at long inter
vals and some blazed roads were
constructed by the companies that
a jack rabbit would not attempt
to travel without an accident.
nolicv. Thus the letter and the
snirit of the grants were strictly
complied with by the Wagon
Lio's.. and tne glories 01 urvciuu-
ment were in the ascendant. The
result was that those promoters
and schemers made cheap mer
chandise out of the government,
and the thousands ot acres wnicn
the fathers designed for the sole
benefit of the, home-builders is
nnw concerned and held in a
vice "grip by these wagon roads
and their successors m interest.
So strong is this grip that the
general government cannot now
even pet lair concessions ior lrri-
- o - . . . . r
gating purposes in tne interest 01
the people. Open rivers, state
development and public aid are
now old steeds tnat have Deen
brettv well ridden in the past,
To relieve ourselves from the
old P. T. holdings at the Falls in
the shape of the basin the good of
the state was msnred by tne pas
sage nf the Lock Bill, bo as tbe
matter stands instead ot tne state
getting the locks the locks have
got us pretty hard.
It is hardlv proper to attempt.
to hold the corporation up to exe
cration. It is simplv living up
to its privileges, certainly not be-
" . ...
low them. The corporation nas
not victimized us. It has no
greater rights than your legis
lature allowed iL Hence, the
corporation can greet us with a
smile and with bam tumpson,
say: "Onward ever, lovely
river." Are we to get succor
from the rail-road?
INVESTIGATION
Bhows that many good watches are
spoiled by tampering. No matter how
little you suppose ia the matter with
yours better
HAVE US REPAIR IT.
A whole lot of damage can be done by
those who are not acquainted with the
delicate mechanism. We know watches
and can repair them as they should be.
Bring us yours if it doesn't go just right.
Albert J. Metzger
WATCHMAKER
Occidental Building, - - - CorvalliB
SPENCER'S
Hair Invigorator
And Dandruff Eradlcator
V5
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i S
f
if"' V i'iii 5 i
- a
o o
2
a s
r a
5 "
m m
c
5 3
-1
0 cs
Trad Hard Bsgistsred. .
Price, - Fifty Cents
Manufactured by
The Vegetable Compound Company
Corvallis, Oregon 9tf
... A Specialty .
We are making a specialty in the form of the latest and most
up-to-date eye glass mounting, ever ' offered to the public.
This eye glass mounting is "The Heard" guaranteed to stay on
where others absolutely fail.
If you care to investigate call at my store any time.
E. W. S. PRATT, Jeweler and Optician.
The Weekly Oregonian and the Gazette
Both one year for $2.55
I 1 - - .li.'iL'JSigF"' I
I
(Continued on second page.)
Have your job printing done
at the Gazette office.
Notice.
The Philomath Mills will be prepared
to furnish pins and brackets for tele
graph and telephone works after Jan
uary 25, 1906. Inquire of M. Ek at
mills. 9
Take The Gazette for all the
local news.
The Kind Tou Have Always Bought, and which has been.
in use for ove 0 years, nas borne the signature of
- . . .
- and has been maue unaer m pw-l&tf-?4u
sonal supervision since its infancy.
Y &CcU6 Allow no one to deceive you in this.
All Counterfeits, Imitations and " Just-as-good' are but
Experiments that trifle with and endanger the health of
Infants and Children Experience against Experiment.
What is CASTORlA
Castoria is a harmless substitute for Castor Oil, Par
goric, Drops and Soothing Syrups. It is Pleasant. I
contains neither Opium, Morphine nor other NarcotiO
substance. Its age is its guarantee. It destroys "Worms
and allays Feverishness. It cures Diarrhoea and Wind
Colic. It relieves Teething Troubles, cures Constipation
and Flatulency. It assimilates the Food, regulates the
Stomach and Bowels, giving healthy and natural sleep
The Children's Panacea The Mother's Friend,
GENUINE CASTORIA ALWAYS
Bears the Signature of
7
The Kind You Have Always Bought
In Use For Over 30 Years.
iNMMY, Tt tORR STH1
Tr.'r.hT"":,:".r
THE CENTAUR eOMMUtV, TT MURRAY STnCET. RIW TOU CIT
ARPUT;
The most liberal reduction ever offered on HALF
ROLLS and REMNANTS now on at our store
This is to make room for our I. -e spring stock that is soon to arrive. If you need floor cov
ering of any description, now is your opportunity. Come early while you can get .choice of
patterns. Remember we have wall-paperat 7 1-2 cents per double roll.
Hollenberg & Oady