Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1871-04-22
OLYMPIA, SATURDAY MORNING, APRIL, q, 1871.
The Railroad Grant.


The immense grant of lands to aid in the
construction of the Northern Pacific Rail-
road, has led to much discussion, and a
great deal of unnecessary msappreheusion
as to special favors received by, and the
the consequent obligations due from that
company to the public, and upon this mis-
apprehension is based the chief opposition
to ceding private lands to the company as
a condition of railroad connection. At
public meeting in this town, on Tuesday
evening, to consider the proposition to
cede lands to secure branch of the road
to this place, one of the speakers stated
that the estimated value of the subsidy
granted to the N. P. r. Company was four
hundred millions of dollars, which would
be sufficient to build and equip the road
and leave very large surplus This he
represented as donation by Congress of
public property to that amount, and that
the company was therefore in honor bound
to give every town on Puget Sound rail
road connection without further exactions.
The simple truth is that the subsidy to
this company is no subsidy at all; it takes
not the value of dollar from the public
property, nor invests the company with
an acre of the public domain but upon
conditions which fully indemnify the Gov
eminent to the amount of its expenditure.
For every twenty miles of railroad COM
pleted and put in running order, Govern
ment cedes forty alternate sections of land
for each mile, retaining the other alternate
sections within the same area and advancing
the price of the same one hundred per
cent, thus receiving an equal amount and
much more ready sale for the half by
this arrangement than for the whole with
out it. Without the railroad not one
tenth Of this land could be disposed of
at Government price within the next fifty
years, and the whole of it today, without
the prospect of railroad, could not find
purchasers at sufficient amount to build
hundred miles of railroad, and the CON-
pany is bound to build two thousand
miles to acquire it. Thus it is clear that
the value of the grant is estimated upon
the investment and enterprise of the CON-
pany, and not upon the value of the land
for any other purpose; and that it is the
reverse of the fact to regard the Govern.
ment as the donor and the company as the
exclusive receiver Of the benefits That
the company will make vast amount Of
money by the operation we do not doubt
but that the aggregate benefits to the pub.
lie will be equally vast is unquestiouable ;
the first invest large amount of money in
the enterprise and take all the risk the
latter reap share of the benefits without
any Of the responsibilities; by giving the
company aid and encouragement the people
but promote their own interests; by seek.
ing to thwart or embarrass it, they but
quarrel with their bread and butter.
Now as to the proposition to secure a
railroad connection at this place by the
concession Of portions of land, the terms
offered by the managers of the company
are reasonable and equitable, and not at
oil incompatible with their public and
private obligations. To reach the point
which may be hereafter selected as a final
terminus, whether that be on the east or
west side of the Sound, the road need not
approach nearer to Olympia than fifteen
miles; from which point it is proposed to
connect with this place by branch road
which cannot claim any portion of the
land grant, which for fifteen miles would
be equal to as4 900 acres, amounting, at
81 SO an acre, to 100000. To compeu-
safe the company in part for this loss by
the diversion from the main line. il is nro.
posed to cede to it an amount of land upou
I.sF IL