Independence enterprise., January 31, 1913, PART TWO, Image 9

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PART TWO
INDEPENDENCE. OREGON, FRIDAY. JANUARY 31, 1913.
FOUR PAGES
Tidier i, 3
Mothers Will
Be Pensioned
England, Alarmed at Decreasing
Birth Rate, Paues National
Insurance Law
With mi eye Ringtail to the future
welfare of the country, the English
parliament ha passed a law that has
hut it single object the. preservation
of the English race, It ia known a
I he British national hindrance law,
and provides for a birth bminty of
(7.50 for each child horn, beside
medical attundunce for the mother.
Obviously, it purpose ia to cheek tho
growing tendency on the part of
parents to avoid tin respounibilitie
Ami inconveniences of parent hood, a
tendency that is bringing Knglnnd
rapidly to tho condition in which
Franc, now IIihIm herself. Tho passage
o' this law comes an tho result of a
thorough investigation into the vital
statistics of the nation, together with
the various i ti fliKMK'fM that have
brought ahout thn present low birth
rate. Seven ami a half dollar will by
no moans ease the bunion of the
mother in travail, nor will it com
pensate her for the week of anxious
waiting and hours of worry. Hut the
action of parliament in in the right
direction aiul will no doubt have
Home influence on the birth rate.
The passage of the law indicate
the alarm felt by Briton for the fu
ture of the race. They evidently find
menace, an did Koine, in the falling
off in the number of soldiers availa
ble, Slavery, iimbirin, lnat of gold and
decay of religion have played their
part in the decay of empire) but
i'i Homo and Greece, nt leant, the
dearth of children in patrician fam
ilies wna largely responsible for the
decline of national prowess. Knglnnd
i alive to her condition, no much go
that a tendency in manifest to throw
the burden of taxation upon the man
with a small family, with tho idea
of placing a premium upon the lartie
family of former generations. Tb
lurth rate in (irent Britain ia acarcely
three in each family, an insufficient
number to maintain the present pop
ulation, taking into consideration that
more thnn ono from each family will
die or remain unmarried. And of all
classes, the lowest birth rate is among
the aristocratic class.
Probably no sterner Ichhoii could
have been meted out to the Briton
than that of the Boor war. When the
flower of Knglnnd 'b young ofiicer
failed to achieve the success de
manded of them in South Africa, a
call was issued for volunteer. Physi
cal standards for entrance to the
army were high and the number of
applicnntfi who could measure up to
the rigid requirement did not come
up to the number deaired. The stand
ard was lowered and another call
Hounded, but till the lintH were un
filled. Again the standards were low
ered until the former were shamed by
tho materia that now found a place
in tho ranks, Yet still the army was
too Hinnll. And why this alarming con
dition in a country supposedly over
flowing with wealth f There was hut
one explanation: The only man to
apply for the job was the poor, un
derfed, down-and-out, jobless eastout
of society. Loafing about in the pub
lic park, sneaking from one joint to
the next to avoid tho round up billy
of the policeman, staggering from gut
ter to gutter, without hope, without
friends, without food, this poor un
fortunate would have welcomed a
chance to go to South Africa and
fight for tho country that had not
.provided him with tho necessities of
life, Hut he was too weak, lie could
not. fulfill tho requirements of the
army. And England saw one of the
factors that go to make up the great
cause for national suicide. These were
the kind of people from Whom many
of her future requisitions for defense
must be made. Theso wore the fathers
of tho futi'-e generations, the wives
of whom were juHt as poorly fed and
clothed.
We do not presume to say that the
alarm of England over the decrease
in the birth rate had its inception in
this incident of tho Boor war. The
case is merely cited as affording in
part an explanation for this alarming
condition that is common to America
as well as England and France. It
is easy to understand why the poor,
underfed mortal who failed in his ap
plication for a place in the ranks
would hesitate to bring an innocent
babe into the world to suffer the
miseries he was compelled to endure.
If ho found it impossible to properly
feed and clothe himself and his de
pendent wife, how could he provide
for the little ones. So the conditions
of society drove him to crime in
stead of the sacred duties of parent
hood for which God intended him. Of
ten his poor wife was the breadwin
ner, for, in this age of specialized
labor, female help is cheaper than
male and the sweat shop is always
(Continued on page four) .....
An Open River for the Northwest
$2,000,000 Appropriation by Congress Will Go Far Toward Bringing Inland Empire Into Close Touch With Foreign Markets
When !ewi and ( lark completed
their memorable invasion of the new
Northwest mid reported their finding
to the waiting East, the wonders of
the great river that wound it way
Interesting View of Celilo Falls at Close Range
...,: .A
to the Pacific ocean did not arouse in
tht minds of their hearers much en
thusiasm as to the future mission of
a stream that had for ages past been
pouring out its life into the more rest
less ocean. Nor did they dream of
the wealth and development of the
great Inland Empire, across whose
then uninhabited plains the explorers
had struggled in awe and wonder into
the no less boundless wealth of tim
ber. For the East was not ready to
admit the establishment of another
great shipping and power center on
the opposite siilo of the continent, and
the stories of Lewis and Clark, were
taken in many quarter with a grain
of aalt.
Yet the prediction of these far
seeing explorer found a hearing. One
day a settlement was started in the
great Northwest and ita population
was augmented each year thereafter.
Other settlement followed until states
grew out of the nucleus, and the pos
sibilities of the Columbia and its
tributaries appealed to numbers who
established homes along their banks.
Gradually to the business of the fur
tn.der was added the transportation
of grains, and stock and river steam
er" became a necessity. Almost with
.the beginning of settlement along the.
banks of the Columbia the more astute
settlers begun to predict the opening
of that great watercourse from the j
sea far inland. Early in the history
of the country the Canadian Pacific
railway operated boats on the upper
most stretch of the Columbia, a dis
tar.ee of 1600 miles from the mouth
And with the inception of the idea
that the river could and would one
daj be open for transportation began
agitation to secure that end,
When the right for the opening of
the river began many obstacles were
apparent, of which the greatest were
tho cascades where the locks now
stand and Celilo Rapid. In tho for
mer tho river uarrows to a gorge 4'i
miles in length, through which it tum
bles madly, with a drop of 24 feet
in. the upper half mile. The bitter
is 9'4 miles in length, with a fall
of SI feet in that distance. Ages
ago the river had cut its way through
the solid rock in a mad rush for the
sea, nnd here was the task that must
be performed if the Columbia was to
serve its destiny as the one great
waterway of the West. .In 1877 the
secretary of war gave his approval
to the plan for a canal and system
of lock around the cascades, but , it
was not until 1S06 that the passage
was opened to traffic. After that
year the head of navigation moved
up stream 45 miles to The Dalles and
Celilo Falls, where it stands today1
waiting the completion of the canal
past these rapids.
The realization of this end is not
fin distant. A few days ago the
House committee on rivers and har
bors presented its annual report car
rying w'ith it the apportionment of
over $40,000,000 for the improvement
ol rivers and harbors of the conn'
try. Of this amount the Columbia
and Snake rivers receive almost $2,
0(0,000, of which $1,000,000 will be
applied at the mouth of the Colum
bia, $000,000 toward the completion
of the Celilo canal and the balance
a' various points along the two riv
er where -needed to perfect the chan
nel already existing. For besides the
Celilo Kails these two rivers present
practically no obstacle to transporta
tion other than the clearing out of
rocks and boulders.' Representative
Humphrey of Washington, Northwest
ern member of the river and harbors
committee, made a strong plea for
twice the appropriation for Celilo in
order that the completion of the canal
might be hurried. But opposition was
practically unanimous, and the pre-
'lK'
out appropriation is looked to to
bring the completion of the passage
in sight.
With this canal completed the Co
lumbia River will offer passage to
ships for a distance determined only
Showing
Pill
by the depth of water required and
the amount of clearing out done by
tho government. For the Columbia is
more a ship canal than a river, and
requires only the application of a lit
tle dynamite here and there. Krom Ce
lilo Kalis to the international boundary
only two more serious obstacles pre
sent themselves, namely, priest Rap
ids and Kettle Falls. These , places
will require canals and locks. The
Snake River enters the Columbia at
a point 110 miles from Celilo and is
open far inland above this point.
This, then, is what tho Columbia and
it tributaries are and will be. Nor
will the development of the waters
cense with these two streams, for
the Spokane and Pend O'Reille will
be cleaned out and the territory fur
ther extended.
To attempt to measure the benefits
that, will come to the entire country
tributary to this system of water
nays' is to undertake the task of the
seer. A few of the results are ap
parent and require no gift of prophecy.
The railroad conditions of the North
west are matters of common knowl
edge. All lines running to the coast
are parallel and cross the same range
of mountains. In many instances the
expense of transportation is high, and
the shipper of course pays the bill.
Not only is this the case, but many
r7??r ...... A-ixarJL,li.
tune the produce of this inland em
pire doe not move immediately be
cause of a car famine, nnd the ship
per loses a good market. The open
ing of the Columbia would establish
competition in transportation, with re
sultant lower rates, and, in it final
analysis, the whole plan for opening
up the river is merely a niBtter of
a perpetual reduction of freight rate
t:i the end that a great percentage of
the peoples' money may stay in their
own pockets.
,Kor years the richness of the In
land Empire has been pointed out.
lint of what benefit to extol the rich
ness of the country when it birth
right is still beyond it reach f Na
ture blazed the trail for transporta
tion to follow when it hurled the
seething waters of the Columbia
through tht Cascades. Here lie the
natural outlet to the ea. Dormant,
it serves the purpose of no one. Sub
dued to the use of man it will be
the channel for undreamed of develop
ment. The thousands of acre of
virgin soil now lying waste in the
de-erts of Idaho, Washington and Ore
gon will immediately fill up with set
tlers because of the knowledge that
they can market their produce and
retain the profit therefor. Such an
oi.tcome is obvious to the man who
has passed through the . fertile valleys
and seen the result of scientific ap
plication of farming principles. Where
once stood the uninviting sagebrush
he sees the well tilled field. Where
once the only vegetation visible was
Celilo Rapids Near the Proposed Power
the deep-rooted native grasses the
green alfalfa now greets the eye.
Heavy-laden fruit trees dot the land
scape, while the general prosperity is
proclaimed by the frequency of mod
em residences and spacious barns.
And this will be repeated over and
over again when the waters of the
( olumbia are brought into direct com
petition with the railrotsds of the
West.
Where now exists an irrigation dam
its height will be doubled or a new
one installed. When the supply of
water in the streams is requisitioned
by the increased ' acreage improved,
new dams will be constructed to store
up the winter supply of these same
streams against the drought of sum
mer. So with the proper inducements
capital will Beek this old field of new
promise for, the installation of new
dams in streams not now used. Far
ii.land, where the" fertile valley lies
yet undiscovered, the life-giving
stream will pour out upon the thirsty
land to bless another community with
the joy of living. So with the in
creased production new facilities for
caring for the output will be found,
new towns and new industries will
spring up throughout the Northwest.
Nor will the influence of this nav
igation be confined to. the immediate
territory along the streams. With
the encouragement and stimulus given
to all industries, branch line will be
found necessary to tap new and fertile
territory. Timber district now lying
idle, too far from transportation to
be available for the world, will ho
opened up. Kor the timber of the
country is now confined to the Pa
cific Coast states, all other sections
having practically exhausted their sup
plies. Mines of precious metals, of
coal and iron, as yet undiscovered,
will yield their wealth to thia new
order of things. With the problem
of transportation solved the location
of factories far inland will no longer
be a questionable venture, for the
river waits to bear its output to the
trade ports of the world.
And why these immediate and
enormous returns for the opening up
of a river Because in no waterway
of the country are the lines of least
resistance followed as they are in the
Colunrbia and Snake River basins.
And thi line of least resistance fol
lows parallel with the railroads that
now bear the produce of the empire
to the sea. ' No other section is taxed
so heavily for its service because the
railroads climb the ' high mountains,
the heavy expense of which is borne
by the shipper. So the cost of im
provement will be small compared with
the great benefit to be derived from
following this line of least resist
ance. Every foot of improvement
means increase in the value of the
product of this empire, for though
climbing the mountains is very pic
Plant
tuiesque it is not profitable with a
sea-level route available. The growth
of the Pacific Northwest has been
very rapid, but with the transporta
tion problem settled the most san
View of Cascade Locks
guine dare not predict what strides
will be taken in it settlement.
Nay, let u conjure further. With
the improvement made the Columbia
River territory will have tranaporta
tion facilities hardly excelled in any
part of the country. New York is
unking a ship canal of the Eric
canal with the intention of opening
up a gateway through the state for
oe an -going craft. The territory
drained by the Columbia and it tribu
taries i just as rich a that of the
State of New York and ha greater
possibilities for development. More
over, thi matchless channel will be
open more months in the year than
will the Erie canal, thus affording an
outlet for produce almost the entire
year. But, unlike New York, the Co
lombia offer a gateway to the Orient.
Throughout the entire Pacific Coast
there is but one water level haul from
the inl.ind country to the coast, and
that i the Colunfbia River. Is it un
reasonable then to believe that the
I'r.ited State trade to the Orient will
pass out through this natural channel
which nature has so providentinlly
furnished? Certainly that from the
north half of. the country would find
it more profitable to pass out through
this channel than to go to New York
for the same transfer from railroad
to steamer that will be necessary on
the Columbia, thence down through
the Panama canal to the same objec
tive point. Imagine the great advan
tage to the Northwest of this con
tinual stream of products pouring out
through the Columbia basin. It would
put within the grasp of the entire
territory all the diversitie of the
country.
And again from the other direction.
Manufactured articles from the great
center on the Atlantic coast will find
their w-ay to the Pacific by means of
the Panama canal, for the water hsMll
is cheaper, and goods will be laid
down in this territory at a far lesser
price than they now command. Of
what great advantage to thi territory
if the same steamer that carries the
goods through the Panama canal could
proceed up the Columbia far into the
interior and deposit its cargo at the
door of the inland merchant! For the .
only sea level passageway on the Pa
cific Coast reaching into the interior
U through the Cascade-Sierra barrier.
The Columbia River is waiting to
bear the commerce of the Inland Em
pire to the sea. The only gateway
thrbugh the mountain barrier that sep
arates the East from the West invites
the resources of the entire country to
pass out on its waters to the broad
Pacific and' across to foreign ports.
The Northwest holds the possibility
of being the dispensary for trade to
th nrUni Tho f'nliiinhia is waiting
to bear the manufactured articles up
into the interior, i The realization of
an age-old dream is almost in sight,
for the great river Will soon fulfill its
destiny as the bearer of the product
of its people to all parts of the world.
Yet not only as the bearer of com
merce will the Columbia fulfill its
destiny as the great servant of the
Northwest. If the plans outlined in
the bieunial report of State Engineer
Lewis of Oregon are carried out Ce
lilo Falls will be the site of the great
est power plant in the world. Plans
for the gigantic enterprise have been
gone into fully and the project pro
nounced entirely feasible. When com
pleted this plant would have a ca
pacity of 300,000 horse power with
the river at its lowest stage and 536,
000 when at its height. A careful esti
mate of the cost of construction places
the figure at $23,000,000, and it is
proposed that the states of Washing
ton and Oregon unite in the j enter
( Continued on page four)
on the Columbia Rioer
- U..,..