OREGOK 



611 



February, and was attended by a large number 

 of the friends of the temperance cause. Their 

 views as to political organization were set forth 

 in the following preamble and resolutions : 



Whereas, Dishonesty, fraud, and corruption, with- 

 in the few past years have seriously endangered 

 the prosperity if not the very existence of our na- 

 tion : and 



Whereas, We believe that the liquor-business has 

 been a chief instrument in this mischief by corrupt- 

 ing the ballot-box ; and 



Whereas, This thing is admitted by the most in- 

 telligent of our nation everywhere, so that wrongs 

 are acknowledged generally where they exist, by 

 those holding office and power ; and 



Whereas, The people of our State and nation are 

 clamoring for reform in every department of the Gov- 

 ernment; and 



Whereas, The object to be sought can only be suc- 

 cessfully reached by the united and consolidated co- 

 operation of all the temperance people throughout 

 the United States : therefore 



fiesolved, That we believe the interest of the tem- 

 perance cause demands that we unite for political 

 action upon thoroughgoing temperance candidates, 

 of whatsoever party, who are trustworthy, honest, 

 and competent men, for all offices elected by the 

 people. 



That with the aforementioned qualification in can- 

 didates for office, we leave political party preferences 

 to be voted for by the temperance voters according 

 to their convictions of propriety, but making tem- 

 perance, in the widest and fullest sense, the supreme 

 bond of union with all temperance voters. 



That this Alliance appoint a State Central Com- 

 mittee, consisting of one member from each county, 

 which committee shall act in unison with the State 

 Central Committee appointed by the last State Tem- 

 perance Union. 



That at an early date these organizations shall call 

 County and State Conventions for the purpose of 

 making nominations for all elective offices within said 

 counties and State from among their true, tried, and 

 competent temperance men, to be supported at each 

 election by temperance people throughout the State. 



Oregon has many advantages as an agricult- 

 ural State. Western Oregon has a moist and 

 equable climate ; Eastern Oregon, one dry and 

 variable. In the former division there are 

 but two seasons, the wet and the dry. The 

 wet season commences about the latter part 

 of November and lasts till March or April, 

 during which drizzling rains and thick mists 

 prevail, though there are many clear days. In 

 the dry season the sky is generally clear, and, 

 though rain is not entirely wanting, very little 

 falls from June to October. The climate of 

 this division varies somewhat in different lo- 

 calities. In the southern portions the dry sea- 

 son is longer and the wet season shorter than 

 in the northern, while in the district west of 

 the Coast Range the atmosphere is more humid 

 than between the Coast and Cascade Mountains. 

 Snow falls occasionally, but seldom to any con- 

 siderable depth, and generally soon disappears. 

 Ice rarely forms more than an inch or two in 

 thickness, and soon thaws. In some winters 

 flowers bloom in the gardens, even in the 

 northern portion of the "Willamette Valley. 

 The nights in summer are always cool, and the 

 heat during the day, seldom extreme, is never 

 oppressive. The Cascade Mountains shut out 



from Eastern Oregon the moisture of the Pa- 

 cific. The temperature here is subject to 

 greater extremes than in the west, but the 

 winters are shorter and milder, and the sum- 

 mers cooler and more equable than on the At- 

 lantic coast. The winter commences late in 

 December, and generally lasts three months. 

 Snow frequently falls to the depth of twelve 

 inches in the valleys, but six inches is the 

 usual depth. In the high mountainous region 

 of Grant County a much greater quantity falls. 

 Ice is formed every winter, but commonly it 

 does not exceed a few inches in thickness. A 

 warm southeast wind is not uncommon, before 

 which the snow speedily disappears. In sum- 

 mer the heat occasionally reaches 100, but 

 owing to the dryness and rarity of the atmos- 

 phere it is not severely felt. Considerable 

 rain falls in spring, but in summer there is 

 little rain and not much dew, though crops do 

 not suffer from drought. In the Klamath Val- 

 ley, owing to its elevation (4,200 feet), frosts 

 occur every night of the year, and snow lies 

 from three to five months. Thunder, lightning, 

 hail, and heavy winds are rare in Oregon. In 

 most parts of the State cattle are wintered 

 without shelter or prepared food, but loss is 

 suffered in seasons of unusual severity. In 

 Western Oregon the most careful farmers erect 

 sheds to protect their stock from cold rains, 

 and furnish fodder for five or six weeks. The 

 mean temperature of the seasons and year at 

 Port Orford (latitude 42 40') and Astoria (lati- 

 tude 46 10') on the coast, at Corvallis (lati- 

 tude 44 300 in the Willamette Valley, and at 

 Dalles (latitude 45 36') just east of the Cas- 

 cade Kange, is stated by Murphy as follows : 



At Eola (latitude 44 57'), near Salem, the 

 average mean temperature ot* the years 1870 

 '72 was 49.66, varying from 49.25 to 50.4; 

 average annual rainfall, 38.62 inches, varying 

 from 37.11 to 40.84 inches; average mean 

 temperature of spring, 47; summer, 66.1; 

 autumn, 49.1 ; winter, 37.3 ; maximum tem- 

 perature, 83; minimum, 13. The annual 

 rainfall at Astoria is stated at sixty inches, and 

 in Eastern Oregon at from fifteen to twenty 

 inches. The climate is generally healthy, and 

 there is no prevailing type of disease. A spe- 

 cies of intermittent fever occurs in the low 

 bottoms along some of the water-courses in 

 Western Oregon, but it is mild, and readily 

 yields to treatment. The climate is believed 

 to be beneficial to consumptives, particularly 

 in Eastern Oregon. 



The soil in the valleys of the Willamette, 

 Umpqua, and Rogue Rivers, is very fertile. 

 The district west of the Coast Mountains is 

 generally rugged, but along the water-courses 

 and at the mouths of the streams are tracts 



