bng09.html

The Klickitat County Agriculturist, Goldendale, WA., December 25, 1909, page 5
"Bingen"
(Observer)

The editor of the Enterprise last week said: "Some of our good citizens felt very indignant at an attack upon the general citizenship of our town by an irresponsible idiot and his sheet last week. But we would console our good people by telling them to stop and consider the source from which the knock came," and then quotes a lot of proverbs to add force to his remarks.
Perhaps he felt sorry to think he was not the only idiot in the country, or was mad to know that the other idiot was idiot enough to tell some very plain truths, and he evidently nearly fainted. Talk about knocking. Let's see:
Who brought influence to bear to prevent any proposed road from reaching Bingen?
Why was the first survey of State Road No. 8, abandoned at the east line of Bingen, and sent around the town several miles away?
Who persistently in the past told strangers that Bingen was nothing but a mud flat and malaria hole?
Who tried their best to keep Bingen from getting a depot?
And when it was located on the right-of-way donated by the Bingen townsite proprietor, who used influence and stole the name and ever since been leading the public to believe that the railroad ran to White Salmon?
Who has been using strenuous efforts to have the depot moved from its present location?
Who more lately made it as difficult as possible for the projectors of the White Salmon River Valley railroad, to get the right-of-way?
And several other "why's" at last compelled the proprietor of the townsite of Bingen to put in a newspaper plant to protect his rights, and now a pitiful cry of "knocking" goes up. You have had your innings, it is now ours, and if advertising and working for the benefit of Bingen is detrimental to White Salmon, we can't help it.
If the contemplated Columbia River & Mount Adams Railroad is built by the parties now having hold of it, Bingen will be the terminus. The result requires no very great foresight, and if you are very good from now on, you may slide on our cellar door.