The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1879-06-21
THE SETTLEMENT OF THE TER.
RGTORgES.

cAh oSshS omp8Dy, nave Decn accom-.
panied, and. perhsps, to some extent.
caused. by rush OF settler. to occupy
the wild lands near the line Of the
railroad in Minnesota and Dskots. A
large proportion Of the Few comers .
from Scandinavia. Germany. Englaud
aud Ireland. and many native Ameri-
cans from the Northern States east OF
the Alleg ~ well ~ from such
new States ~ Illinois, Iowa. and Indi.
ans, are moving to districts where
they can get fertile lands for *2 so per
are. considering the chespnsss OF its
original price ss sufficient 70 counter
balancs the lack Of oil improvements.
and severity Of the wiuter. making
access difficult and seriously diminish.
the comforts Of life during uearly half
the year. This movement. taking away
many people who would otherwise
settle iu Illinois and Iowa, aud fixing
them in district doing o large part Of
it. trade with st. Louis-which, though
further. hes the cheap transportation
Of the Mississippi river in its favor
provokes dissatisfaction in Chicago. aud
the 7riJans Of that city. unable to make
any plausible special complaint, under
takes the following attack upon the
settlement of the Territories
In reality. the people Of the country
1t large have no interest in developing
the Territories. 1t is against public
policy to attempt to settle them in
advance Of the wants Of the population.
The new Territories are settled sod
developed at the expense Of the old
States. Every person added to the
population Of Wyoming is taken from
some old community where he might
live in greater ease and comfort. Every
dollar expended in developing the
resources Of Arizona is Withdrawn frcm
some enterprise in another and better
part Of the country. All our fer West
ern settlements have been built up at
the expense OF settlements in the far
Fat. and little has been gained by the
transfer Of men and capital.
The writer of tba. article might have
gone y stop further and recommended
building su inpa-ssble wall along the
western liue of the States 10 the MissIs.
sippi Valley. SD rs to prevent the people
Of the old settlements from carrying
their money and enterprise into the
Territories. These adventurers, accord.
ing to the Tribune. do not understand
their own business they sacrifice their
own ease and comfort when they settle
iE any place that does not get its sup.
plies in Chicago Fortunately for the
United States such ideas have not gov
erned the country, The Erie Canal,
the Psnnsylvanis Canal, the various
wagon roads across the Allegheny
mountains. and liberal policy adopted
by Congress in reference to land and
railroads, gave great facilities to the
people to reach and acquire the wild
land OF the nation and the result has
been development OF wealth and i'll
tellcctual activity unexampled IN his.
tory. New York. Massachusetts, and
Pennsylvania are richer and more pop
ulous today than il, Immediately after
the Revolution. the Government had
prevented any settlement outside OF the
present limits Of the original thirteen
States. The immediate interest of such
States ss Vermont. New Hampshire.
North Carolins and Tennessee. which
have little foreign commerce and no
leading routes Of traffic between the
Atlantic and the Territories. might be
promoted by prohibiting migration to
the Territories. but the permanent in
terest Of most of the States OF the Union
as whole. aud Of tho people generally,
demands not only that the public lsrds
should be given to settlers iD tracts
which each will utilize. but. also, that
the Government should provide melLs
for making those lands accessible
East Of the Missouri river nature fur
nishes numerous navigable streams. and
o level country through which roads
could be easily constructed, and their
private enterprise was usually sufficient
10 supply steamboats, and good wagon
roads and other means Of transportation /;
but from the eastern base Of the Rocky
Mountains westward. drier. more
rugged. and less fertile region demanded
more aid from tbs Government, such as
was given to the Northern Pacific. The
grant to that company may not have
been accompanied by all the conditions
that sound policy required. but We have
no doubt that II the road should be
completed within i've or ten years. the
general result will be highly beneficial
to the nation at large. and especially to
the Pacific Slope. in which CAlifornia
and San Francisco occupy prominent
places.
Every we'll iuformed and inpartisl
person ~ill admit that many Of the
subsidies given BY the Government to
railroad companies have been drawn
without sufficient checks to guard the
public interest; but this fact furnishes
no good reason for dsnouncing all sub
sides - psrnicious. Every Fedenl
subsidy 70 . raiioad that has been COM
pleted. injudicious though 1t may have
been in some respects has been
source Of general benefit 70 the nation.
The complaint that the land has been
taken from the people is grossly false.
Settlers would not have il till made
accessible, and much If not most OF it
Is not salesbls now st 81 an aore. Some
private interests represented by the
article in the Chicago Tri5aae. are in
iured By encouraging the settlement OF
the uuoccupisd lands. bat the Pacific
6lops needs railroads. settlers, and as
much free land fos every o lonisins
family q il can use to advsntagc-
II is imrossiblc that there should be
anv considerable movement Of popala-
tion without disturbance toSome pri-
81. scteresk. hut coming down from