Eighty-Five Portland Boosters Take Kennewick by Storm

A little travel-stained from five days of junketing, but as full of enthusiasm and capers as a bunch of colts on a frosty morning, eighty-five prominent Portland business men landed in Kennewick at 7:30 Friday evening and for four hours enjoyed home-made hospitality and handed out more entertainment than they received. From the time the Portlanders held out open paws and said 'howdy' until they waved farewell from the car windows of their special train at 12:30 a.m., there were things doing.

The visitors were met at the N. P. depot by a delegation of Kennewick business men and escorted to the Commercial club rooms where they were officially welcomed by Mayor L. E. Johnson. They were then turned loose for an hour to visit the business men in their stores and to size up the town. Assembling again in the Commercial club rooms, they listened to a talk by A. R. Gardner, who sought to impress them with Kennewick's possibilities for growth and development along agricultural, commercial and industrial lines. He emphasized the fact that the Portlanders were then in the only town on the Columbia river from which it is possible to return to their own homes over any one of three railroads or by a river steamer. Likewise they were the nearest it is possible for them to get, either in miles or by direct lines of communication, at the same time to the cities of Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, Spokane, Walla Walla and North Yakima.

The meeting was then turned over to the Portland men with C. C. Chapman, editor of the Oregon Voter, presiding. Mr. Chapman is one of those live-wire, magnetic fellows who keep things going with a hang. He called upon W. A. Williams, of the Continental Insurance company, to speak upon the subject nearest his heart. With a lot of good humor and many good natured thrusts at the railroad officials in the party, Mr. Williams gave an excellent talk on the Open River and its significance as a regulator of freight rates. He maintained that the river towns have a marked advantage over interior points not only because they have a cheaper means of transportation but by reason of this means of transportation they get more consideration from the railroads.

The railroads were given their chance to play even when Mr. Chapman called upon A. D. Charlton, assistant general passenger agent of the Northern Pacific. Mr. Charlton's speech was the big hit of the evening and he kept the crowd in a mirthful uproar with his pungent parlor remarks. He told of the wonderful success he had made as a Kennewick farmer until prohibition and the open river put him and his 'cocktail' cherry orchard out of business.

As Kennewick was the last port of call for the Portlanders' trade excursion thru the Walla Walla and Yakima valleys appropriate expressions of thanks were given those of the party who had materially contributed to its success. Among those so honored were J. E. Davidson, of the Pacific Power & Light company, chairman of the excursion committee; E. Smead, secretary, of the Portland Telegram and K. C. Callvert, of the Oregonian.