The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-05-15
County and City Official Press.
Tuesday, May Is. 1877.
THE NORTHERN PACIFIC
RAILROAD AND ITS LAND
GRANT.

est of the Northern IafIhc Rti!r 'ad
Company in relation to their land graft
and the sitidrxw.ls under IL Their
are severn! very gross errors IL that ar
ticis, whether intentional or s.t erwi>e.
that require notice.
The writer says. "son"sisns In Ny
last the company decided - change it,
route for its tT.Bch rond over the m"ul-
tsias from tn. Skagi Ia the Naehes-
Pass, and on November 24th, filed it,
abandonment Of the formrr route and
it. reiinquishment of all claims To l.ni-
by reason Of the withdrawn 'h,r-i,r
and s>ked the Secretary Of the Iu,c-
rior, in lieu thereof. wi,hdfa.sl al
lenis cis the litter Route" There is
nothing tru in the foregoing statement
except that said c mp.ny filed new
/. msp d their branch route over ,h,-
Gschess Pass II the company had
died I'll ab .Ddonment or reiinquish.
ment If iAnds on ik. branch ria the
6kagit Pace. as they 40 Doubt might
havs done by an instrument III the IA
ts9e Of quit claim deed why ARE not
those lands restored TO s-it 'em-nt Z
They did no such thing. They fi;ed
their new map. and the same WAS APP
proved by the Secretary Of the Interior
November cath. 1875. and asked tn
have the lands withdrawn on this new
line, without any legal or formal
abandonment OF the old line.
-. Our Delegate. ~ soon as this matter
came to his knowledge. did SIMPLY
what WAS his duty. els protested
against the right of the company, of
their own motion. to charge their line
cf road, and against a further with
drawal under this new filing. To show
further tho absnrdity Of the pr,tense
thst the Northern Pacific Rsilroaa
Company are willing that the lands
heretofore Withdrawn on the branch
ria the Skagit Pass should be restored
~ the government. il 10 only necessary
t0 call attention TO the fact admitted
In the article referred To that all the
lands in question. or nearly all of them.
wers withdrawn in favor of said com
pany on the main line of their road in
1870 and 1872. and yet it is no, claimed
thst there has been any pretense
Of an abandonment by the Com
pany al said lands. or any
part thereof They have located their
TERMINUS ut Tacoma. and all land. here
tofors withdrawn ON the main line
north Of that point it is admitted
should be rsstored to the government
Certainly there is no rea.on Why this
should not be done There is no pr.tcn.e
that the company have abandoned ar
r-linquished the lands withdrawn on
the main line north Of Tncorua. except
by the location of the T.rn,inus at Ia
Ccma, which Of itself. without deed
.1fuo, the company. or an act Of Congress
does not restore them to settlement
Why 10 it. il tho company arc anxious
or even willing 30 10 justice to the set
tier. that they d. not by proper con
veysncs return to the company these
lands on tho maiu line. and also the
other lands Withdrawn on tho branch
ria the Skayit Pass Tho reason il
very plain. The company desire to
inappropriate 7a3.6OO acres of these
lands north of Tacoma to the building
Of local coal road from Tacoma thirty
one miles up the Puyallup river to Ger.
tain coal mines Tie aforesaid
writer says further in an article refer
ring TO il, The company is compel
led to buili and is bailding its railroad
up Tho Puysllup river under the with.
drawal csa the skagit Pass This it
ca do for the first forty miles" The
anhlushipg sfron.sry Of this statement
shows. IL there VA no other ear mark.
that the article in question Was written
by . minion of the Northern Pacific
Railroad Company. No disin,eres,ed
ard Aonsst person would make such =
statsmsnt. The bsanch route and the
Withdrawals upon it extend little
east Of north from Tacoma. while the
coal rosd which the company are build
ing runs ssutheas,erly. an entirely or
poaite direction. aud besides the whole
af said coal rad 10 entirely within the
limits Of the earned lands of said CON
pany on their main line. AMI yet a.
absurd aud fraudulent as this claim Is. it
s0oeds key On the action of the CON-
pany in opposing . restitution 10 the
government and the settlement Of these
lands north of Tscoms, On both the
maiu and branch lines. Perhaps they
will saccerd in this attempt tn obtain q
sahaidy Of .as. GOO aeies 1T the puolie
lands. in King. kitsap and
Snehcmish counties. for the hallaing Of
this 81 miles ri local exal REAL, has IT
they do Il il will he because she people
fA,l 70 make = proper presentation 81
ths matter ~ Coagress.
Again. the writer Of the article IN
question claims that the graft "a the
y. r. X Il. &c. 10 . fsoAslag grant. and
It's location can he changed ~ the com
psny 81 any time before was, he u
pleased - term sss6slfs >afsea. He
says the Northern Pacific railroad acts
provide Tor tsse II aps, esq gf TIE seRes1a4
rsssss, under the saith section. and ere
Of asssiss issasses. under the third sec-
ton am aware that such is the
claim II the een,Y~ny. hat there Is 80
fcunsiat,aa for II either In the letter or
spirit III the Law. X is entirely uaaan-
featured In the interest It tae sonra-
ny There Is as provision In section
s.x nf the act at July 81. isss. for The
fl4rg Of any map whatever Secsion
ssx provides for the survey cf the lands,