, 1854-03-25

the Rocky Mountains, concluded June 10
1876 The fourth article of said treaty
provides as follows
"Thc farms, lands and other property
of every description belonging to the Pu
gets Sound Agricultural Company, on the
north side of the Columbia river, shall bt
Iconlirmcd to the said Company. In cast
however the situation of those farms ant
lands should be considered by the UnitcC
States to be of public, and political inpor
tance, and the United States Government
should signify desire TO obtain possession
of the whole or of any part thereof, the pro
Ipcrty so required shall be transferred to thC
said Government at proper valuation, tt
be agreed upon between the parties"
Your memorialiStS believe the present tC
be an auspicious moment for the cXtin
guishment of their title (if any they have, ,
as the improvements upon the lands are
very limited in extent and trihing in char
acter buildings that were once valuable
from long use arc now measuraby worth
less, and lands that were once fertile and
well paid the tiller of the soil have been ex
hausted Of their fertilizing qualities, those
farms are now of less value than the same
amount of lands, in a state Of nature il
fact, the only preceptiblc boundary that
marks the confines of those lands aud wild
lands of the Government is Sterilty more
palpable and improvements that mar rather
than beautify the face of nature. To save
the country from this deterioration, from
this blight of foreign influence on our soil
we but express the united wish Of every true
American citizen in Washington Territory
in praying that this foreign incorporation
whose agents and members are unfricndly
to the liberal spirit of our free institutions
may be speedily removed from our midst
that the progress and improvement of the
country may cease to be retarded. You
memorialists believe that it is matter Of
the first Importance that the titles to land,
which said company acquired by the provi
sions Of the treaty (if they acquired any,
should be immediately extinguished, not on
account of the value thereof (Which is but
trihing, but to effect their speedy removal
In 1S46, at the time the treaty was rat
flied, the amount of lands which the com
pany had inclOsed, including the CowGtl
farm near the COwlitz River and the land.
enclosed at Fort Nisqually, did not exceed
two thousand acres in all, yet the Company
claims at Fort Nsqually two hundred and
tweDty-one square miles, and at the Cow,
litz six square miles /; or in other words
they claim any and oil lands over which
their herds Of wild stock occasionally
roamed or was from time to time removed
to for change of pasturage. A most intel
ligent and cOmmendable portion Of our cit
izens regarding the provisions of said trea
ty as confirming to said Company only the
land which were inclosed by their fence al
the time the treaty was made, have settled
upon and made valuable improvements on
much Of the then wild and unoccupied lands
believingthe sHme to be Government lands
and subject only to settlement by American
citizens, yet great number Of those who
located many miles distant from the enclo
sure, occupancy or actual possession of said
company received written notices from
their members and agents commanding
them to leave their houses and homes ac
companied by threats Of prosecution In
writs Of ejectment and trespass YOU
memOrialists are fully aware that on author.
itative Interpretation of the treaty can alone
be pronounced by the Juciary, but in their
representative capacity, in furtherance oI
the wish of theirconstituency, have thought
1t advisable to present to Congress plain
statement Of facts, hoping thereby to direct
the attention Of the present Administration
to the absolute necessity of Immediately
ascertaining their boundaries and rights,
(ifOny they have, } and purchasing the same
Your memorialists cannot but regard the
rights of said company to any lands other
than those which they had enclosed or in
their immediate occupancy and possession
prior to fifteenth of June l946, as wholly
unfounded and inadmissible and whilst
your memorialists, in common with other
American citizens, desire that our country
shall ever maintain her high and enviable
IreputatiOn for the generous ful6lment of all
her treaties, they cannot for moment
doubt that she will extend protecting arm
to the honest pioneer settler, and that that
class of citizens who have made valuable
Improvements upon what they believe to be
Government domain shall be secured in the
title and possession thereof, whatever the
rights Of the Puget's Sound Agricultural
Company may be found to be.
Arrival Of Lieut.. Grover,
Just as we were going to press, Lieut.