Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1873-07-19
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS ON RAILROAD
MATTERS.

ht t'fAN IL, VA NVhi7'- ti'N
location of the railroad terminus From
long articles in the principal journals on
the Sound we have but space to copy
brief extracts. The Uispotch, after de-
picting the g the brief but brilliant"
career of kalama, the pet offspring Of
the land ring. says
The same scenes will be re- enacted
at Tacoma, and that the result will he
the same no reasonable observer can
doubt. With the railroad completed
between kalama and Tacoma, where is
the commerce or trade to come from to
give Tacoma any advantage over IA
lama. either for trade or the support of
population? A railroad cannot make
business where none exists. A railroad
between kalama and Olympia, over the
shortest practical portage between the
large navigable waters which float the
commerce of the divided sections, con-
Meeting populations, would have not
only been public benefit but prac-
ticable business enterprise; but de-
Walton, increasing the distance more
than one third to point utterly desti-
tute Of population and commerce. and
no natural facilities for either, without
the gain of Il single compensatins ad-
vantage, any one can see can have no
other purpose than to favor the wild
cat and fancy stock speculations.
The Courier in abiding to the
schemes OF the land ring, appends the
following sensible advice:
To all who may be duzalcd by this
glittering air-castlc, whether ut home
or abroad, to those who have good
homes and the means of a reasonable
livelihood, we say, stay where you are
for the present, unless you come to
settle in the country and make you
homes by the work OF your own hands
without reference to the present OK
element 70 all these latter we give q
hearty welcome and assurance of plen-
ty of room. It will be time enough
when the terminus city becomes an es-
tablished fact, for all to come and
make investments: and thousand dol
lars lot then will be cheaper price
, than one-twentieth of that sum now.
In short, we think that time will prove
the correctness of our opinion that prop
/, erty will be sold cheaper in Tacoma
years from this date than it could be
bought for to-day.
The -A,y"s speaking before the loca-
ton was made, said:
It is now almost positive that the
terminus of the N. p. Railroad will be
either at Tacoma or Seattle. There arc
two things that may have caused the
t selection thus to he made; the power of
S the Land Ring, OF the lack of funds, OF
! possibly both causes may have affected
, the choice of the location. One thing
is certain, whether the terminus be To-
: Gated at Seattle or Tacoma the location
s so made will leave out tract of country
@ over which it would be very expensive
E to build road, and the extensive tract
of land, owned by the Land Ring OF
the company at Tacoma is known to be
o power at work in favor of that place.
The policy that has been pursued by
: the Northern Pacific Company has well
c nigh crushed it, and it's questionable
Q course, together with the disrepute that
= the Credit Mobilier has thrown all rail
, road enterprises in, in the United States,
= has made it next to impossible to dis
pose of it's bonds among foreign CAPT
y talists, and we have been informed, from
: very good authority, that the 80 mile OF
road being constructed at this end OF
the route is the only contract for road
i building that has been let by the com
j pany this season.
y The Bellingham Bay Mail, taking ur
another branch of the subject, dis
e courses as follows:
# The Congress of the United States
O has munifcently endowed this corpora
= ton with Immigrant to the value Of
$25, 900 for every mile of road they
will construct to their western terminus
= No sane mind will entertain the idea
for moment that it will take more
than $25 900 to construct each mile OF
u their track; so, virtually, Congress has
l. taken measures to build the road and
:. then give it to this company, that they
r may run it for their own profit. Under
these circumstances one would naturally
suppose the company could afford tc
: pay respectable wages to WHITE men to
do their work for them; but what arc
:, the facts in the case? They are that Il
- very large portion of the work on this
N side of the road is done by Chinese
:, laborers, who, if we are properly in
k formed, are paid at the rate of twenty
J. five dollars per month, and they board
>, ing themselves.
sE Messrs. Presley & Esterly, Of
!. Tumwater, have devised several move
articles in the house-furnishing line o.
q much practical utility. A visit to theil