Frontier and pioneer life -- Oregon; Frontier and pioneer life -- Washington (State)
As the State of Washington is woefully lacking, so far as manufacturing
is concerned, I am tempted to recall, with a Seattle application, one of
the many facts embodied in the logic of those articles. Seattle has a
population of 250,000, we will say. It costs at least $7.00 each for the
feet clothing of such people for one year. This would give the sum of
$1,750,000 for boots and shoes alone. When we come to add to this the
value of the leather for harness-making, for belting and the other
purposes for which leather is used, we have over $2,000,000 taken
annually from the people of this city for leather, and its fabrics. The
absurdity of this thing appears when we consider that we have a great
abundance of hides, which are sold for a mere song, and are received
back in manufactured articles. Our forests are rich in tanning; in fact,
the raw materials of all kinds required are abundant. Any person by
giving serious consideration to the subject will soon be convinced of
its great importance, and the imperious necessity of action. As well
might we ship the logs cut in our forests to foreign countries, or the
Eastern States, to be manufactured into furniture, or finished lumber,
as to ship other raw materials away and receive their finished products
back, paying for them the increased price, resulting from the labor
performed upon them, and for the freight both ways. No country can stand
such a drainage, and prosper.
It was in the summer of 1855, if I remember correctly, that I was
nominated by an opposition convention to run as a candidate for the
Lower House of the Territorial Legislature in Oregon. I did not attend
the convention at which I was nominated, nor was I a delegate thereto.
At first I hesitated about the acceptance of the nomination; but urged
by my friends, I finally consented to run. The Territory as well as the
County, was largely Democratic. The platform announced three cardinal
principles: first, the most stringent regulation of the liquor traffic;
second, America for Americans; and thirdly, the curtailment of public
expenses and the cutting-down of salaries. The first and last of these
principles I heartily endorsed; the second, in the know-nothing sense,
and application, I was not in favor of; furthermore, I was opposed to
secret political societies. I favored an open field and a fair fight.
Having concluded to run, I went into the fight vigorously, and made
speeches in nearly all of the precincts in the County. My canvass
alarmed the Democrats, and they sent some of their best speakers after
me. I met them in joint debate at times, and at other times I, alone,
spoke. As the time approached for election, the excitement increased,
and public interest in the campaign was very much aroused. I won, during
the campaign, quite a reputation for a raconteur. A point illustrated
and enforced by an anecdote or story becomes an integral part of a man's
mental and moral constitution.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account